Veterinarians are reminding Las Vegas pet owners that dogs can get sunburned even though they have fur, reports News 3 Las Vegas.
With the valley locked in another stretch of triple-digit heat, sun damage is a risk that gets far less attention than hot pavement but can cause problems that last well beyond summer.
Dr. Ambika Vaid told the station that some dogs are more susceptible than others, and that sun exposure can lead to health issues beyond a painful burn.
The dogs at highest risk are the ones with the least natural protection.
Hairless breeds, dogs with thin or light-colored coats, and white or short-haired dogs absorb far more UV radiation than their thick-coated counterparts.
Certain body parts are vulnerable on nearly every dog. Ear flaps, the bridge of the nose, the belly, the groin, and any shaved or thinning areas have little to no fur cover and burn first.
The stakes go beyond temporary discomfort. Repeated sun damage increases a dog’s long-term risk of skin cancers, which is why veterinarians treat sun protection as a health issue rather than a cosmetic one.
Prevention looks a lot like it does for people. Keep walks to early morning and evening, provide real shade rather than partial shade during outdoor time, and consider a pet-safe sunscreen for exposed areas on high-risk dogs.
One important caution applies to sunscreen: Never use human sunscreen containing zinc oxide on a dog, because zinc is toxic to dogs if licked and ingested, so stick to products formulated specifically for pets.
This is also one more reason to leave the clippers alone this summer.
As we covered in our look at whether shaving your dog really keeps them cool, a double coat insulates against heat and doubles as built-in sun protection, and shaving it off exposes skin that was never meant to see direct desert sun.
If you spot red, flaky, or blistered skin on your dog’s ears, nose, or belly after time outside, a vet visit is worth it.
Sunburn is easy to dismiss and easy to prevent, and in the Mojave, prevention is the only sensible bet.
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