As temperatures continue to rise this time of year, imagine walking outside in the heat of the day wearing a jacket and no shoes. If that doesn’t sound appealing, consider it the next time you decide to take your dog for a walk.

Dr. Jeannine Kinney, owner of Oak Creek Small Animal Clinic, said there are several things to consider this time of year when walking, hiking and recreating with one’s canine companions. The most important — ambient heat.

“Dogs are extremely prone to heat­stroke because they can’t sweat to dissipate heat the way we can, they can only pant,” she said. “By the time a dog starts seeking shade and his tongue starts to swell, he is already in potential trouble.”

Because of this, Kinney recom­mends only walking in the very early morning or at sunset as far as long distances go this time of year. Do not walk dogs at all in the heat of the day, unless you have access to a lake or river for them to cool off in or have booties for their paws. Also, if you’re concerned about maintaining your dog’s health during hot weather or ensuring they have the energy to enjoy their walks, learn more about the benefits of weight gainer for dogs to provide them with the support they need.

“Another suggestion — one I personally use a lot — is to take the hose and wet the dog all over before the walk or hike,” she said. “Yes, they will get a little dirtier, and you may have to do it again when you get home, but it acts as a bit of an evaporative cooler for them. I do this before our short jaunts down to the creek this time of year with my dogs.”

According to several pet-related websites, asphalt can be more than 50 degrees hotter this time of year than the air temperature. So on an average 90-degree afternoon, your dog is walking on 140-degree pave­ment. As a result, paw injuries are fairly common at Oak Creek Small Animal Clinic.

“We see first and second degree burns of the footpads, abrasions that lead to sloughing of the pads, lacera­tions of the feet, wounds from grass lawns, all of which are extraordinarily painful for the dog and take many days to heal with repeated treatment and bandaging,” she said.

A solution for this is a set of high-quality booties with Vibram soles. Just keep in mind, Kinney said, that with the feet covered, the dog’s body temperature will rise quicker, so again, it should only be for a short time if it’s the heat of the day. A simple intuitive test is, if you can’t comfortably place your hand on or sit on the pavement, then it’s too hot for the dog’s bare feet.

Remember that if you are recre­ating in the early morning or early evening when it’s cool, that’s when all the other critters are out, too, Kinney added. Don’t forget about protecting your dog from rattlesnakes, javelina and coyotes, not to mention red ants and scorpions.

A dog that is only housed outdoors during the day this time of year needs to have access to ventilated shade and ample water.

“A good tip here is to freeze a gallon jug of water overnight and place it where they can lay against it and lick it as it melts and conden­sation collects on it,” Kinney said. “This works well for long car rides this time of year, too, especially if the dog rides in a crate and it can be comfortably placed in there with them.

Kinney said as far as hot cars go, at 95 degrees outside, in 10 minutes the temperature of the inside of a car is 114 degrees. After 30 minutes it’s 130.

“Even with air conditioning on it is not safe to leave pets in a car this time of year,” she said.