Can My Dog Get Heat Rash?

As summer approaches, humans aren’t the only ones that are prone to heat rash. Our pet dogs can get them too. Just like how humans and babies experience it, heat rash can become itchy and cause discomfort. If the problem isn’t addressed right away, it can worsen and become inflamed turn into wounds. But how can dogs get heat rash? Heat rashes are cause by a pathogen that gets triggered whenever dogs are placed in a humid or hot environment.

SYMPTOMS OF DOG HEAT RASH

The earliest and most common symptom of heat rash to watch out on your dog is frequent scratching. If you see your dog scratching frequently, especially if the weather has been hot or humid, then it may be the onset of heat rash. Make sure you observe your pet and watch out for these other symptoms:

• Red bumps or rashes on your pet’s skin
• Skin dryness or irritation that is visible on your pet’s skin, which they always scratch
• Red rashes that may look like pimples. Sometimes, they can also look like boils or scabs. These can also have a bad smell as well.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

If you think that your dog is suffering from heat rash, make sure you consult your veterinarian first before giving it any type of medication or treatment. It’s important to make sure that the rash on your dog is really heat rash. Heat rash needs to be treated right away to make sure that it won’t contribute to the deterioration of your pet’s health. This is because the rashes can become infected. Below are some remedies you can try that can help get rid of your dog’s heat rash:

Cold Packs

Heat rash means that your dog has to suffer from inflammation, irritation as well as itching. To help alleviate these symptoms, you can place a cold pack over the affected areas to help your pet. You can simply wrap ice cube on a cloth, or drape over a cold cloth on your dog’s skin. You can place these on the area with the heat rash to relieve your dog from the discomfort cause by the rash.  Do this every few hours or as needed.

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is a great remedy for sunburn, and it also works well on heat rash. It contains healing properties that can help treat the symptoms of heat rash. Because of this, it can cool the areas where the heat rash is visible, and take care of the inflammation as well.

Hydrocortisone

You can also purchase over-the-counter medications such as hydrocortisone cream. This will lessen the itching, and it will also make the redness caused by heat rash to go away. However, make sure you don’t overuse or apply too much of this cream on your pet because it can also lead to skin irritation.