How do you keep a dog cool in a UK summer?

What are the signs of heatstroke in dogs?

Heatstroke is an emergency. The RSPCA lists collapse, confusion or disorientation, dehydration, drooling, increased heart rate, muscle spasms, noisy breathing, panting, red gums and tongue, seizures, vomiting and diarrhoea, and weakness and lethargy. The PDSA groups signs by severity, from panting, fast breathing and low energy, through drooling, foaming at the mouth, bright red or very pale gums, shaking and collapse, to confusion, seizures and unconsciousness. If you are worried, contact your vet.

What to do if a dog has heatstroke

The RSPCA's advice is “cool first, transport second”. Stop exercise, get your dog out of hot cars or buildings and into shade. Then pour any available water that is cooler than the dog over their body, avoiding the head, focusing on the neck, stomach and thighs; you can submerge their body in cool water, but for an unconscious dog, a dog with health conditions or an elderly dog, the RSPCA says to spray them with room-temperature water instead. Fan them to create a breeze. The RSPCA says cold water rarely causes shock in over-heating dogs. Once they have cooled, take them to the nearest vet with the air conditioning on or windows open, and call ahead.

The PDSA's steps are similar: move your dog to a cool room or shade, gently pour cold water over their whole body (water from the cold tap is fine) without letting them inhale it, put them on a cold wet towel, wrap an ice pack or frozen vegetables in a towel and place it between their thighs, and call your vet as soon as possible. Both charities warn against covering the dog with a damp towel, because it traps heat; a wet towel underneath is fine.

How hot is too hot to walk a dog?

Neither charity gives an air-temperature limit. The RSPCA says if the ground is too hot to touch with your hand for five seconds, it's too hot for paws, and its hot-walks advice says to check the ground with the back of your hand. The PDSA says the ground is okay if you can comfortably place your palm on it for 7 seconds. Both advise walking in the early morning or evening. The RSPCA lists dogs at higher risk: flat-faced breeds, puppies and senior dogs, unfit and overweight dogs, dogs with heart or respiratory disease, and dogs with thick coats or wearing doggy clothes; the PDSA adds giant breeds and long-haired dogs. Keep their walks short and shady. If your dog is overweight, our weight loss dog food comparison covers diet foods.

How common is heatstroke in UK dogs?

VetCompass researchers at the Royal Veterinary College studied 905,543 UK dogs under vet care in 2016. Heat-related illness was recorded in about 0.04% of dogs that year, but 14.18% of those events ended in death. Flat-faced (brachycephalic) dogs had about twice the odds of heat-related illness (odds ratio 2.10), and dogs over 50 kg had 3.42 times the odds of the study's reference weight group (Hall, Carter and O'Neill, Scientific Reports, 18 June 2020). A second study of 1,259 events found exercise was the trigger in 74.2%, hot weather alone in 12.9% and being shut in a vehicle in 5.2% (“Dogs Don't Die Just in Hot Cars”, Animals, 31 July 2020). That is why walk timing matters as much as never leaving a dog in a car.

How to keep a dog cool at home

The RSPCAsuggests constant access to shaded areas, always having clean, cold water available, ice cubes in your dog's water bowl, a frozen Kong toy full of treats and water, damp towels to lie on or an ice pack wrapped in a towel (never a damp towel over your dog), and frozen toys, paddling pools or water sprinklers.

Useful kit

• Ruffwear Swamp Cooler cooling vest · £94.95 on Ruffwear's UK site (blue and grey, in stock; two sold-out colours were listed at £37.98). An evaporative vest you soak in water.View
• Rufus & Rosie dog paddling pool (medium, 80 × 20 cm) · Price not shown when checked (Jollyes' page could not be loaded on 21 October 2026). Water to stand or lie in.View
• PetSafe Drinkwell 1.8 litre fountain · £54.99, in stock. Keeps a supply of fresh, moving water indoors.View
• Rosewood Lemon cooling collar · £4.19 (small) to £5.19 (large) at The Pet Health Club shop. A soak-and-wear collar; a small extra, not a substitute for shade.View

Prices from the retailer or brand pages linked, checked on 21 October 2026. Seasonal stock such as paddling pools may not be on sale outside summer. For more options with prices and stock, see our dog cooling mats and vests comparison.

Dogs in hot cars

The RSPCA says that when it is 22°C outside, a car could reach 47°C within an hour, and that parking in the shade or leaving windows open does not make it safe. If you see a dog in a car showing signs of heatstroke, dial 999; the RSPCA has no powers of entry and needs the police. For safe car journeys, see our guide to dog car travel kit.

The RSPCA also warns that breaking into the car could be treated as criminal damage. In England and Wales, section 5 of the Criminal Damage Act 1971provides a “lawful excuse” defence if you believe the owner would have consented had they known the circumstances, but it is a defence you may have to argue in court, not a right. If you decide to act, tell the police what you intend to do and why, photograph or film the dog, and take the names and numbers of witnesses.

Planning a trip? See our dog-friendly holidays guide, and GPS trackers can help if a dog bolts in unfamiliar places: see our GPS tracker comparison. For general health, see our dog health hub, and for what emergency treatment costs, the average vet bill guide.