It’s been very hot already. And the hot summer is coming. To friends who have pets in our family, the biggest problems in summer are the pet's health problems, and pet skin disease is the most common one. Why does pet skin disease frequently happen in Summer? Can we prevent it in advance?

What are the reasons for the frequent occurrence of pet skin diseases in summer?

1. Physical Problem

It has something to do with the pet’s own constitution. Pets in a hot environment will produce heat stress response, and the immune system will be relatively low. Perhaps, your pet has already some parasites or germs on its skin, it doesn’t matter. However, after the heat stress reaction, these parasites and germs, which could not break through the immune defense before, will take the opportunity to invade the pet’s body and multiply rapidly. So your pet will get sick.

2. Loss of Appetite

Hot weather, of course, will cause pets to lose their appetite. Pets do not feel like eating pet food, then their immune systems gradually became relatively low, parasites and germs become able to invade and multiply, later, the pets will get skin problems.

3.Walk Your Pet After Shaving

Many pet owners choose to shave their pets in summer, hoping that their pets could stay cool in the hot days. But shaving a pet isn’t a good idea to keep them cool in summer. That will do harm to the pet skin.

Pet fur helps keep/keeping pets warm, protects the skin from injuries, provides sensory input and helps keep pets dry. When temperatures get very hot, pet fur actually helps keep them cool—the layer of air trapped within the coat can act as a buffer against extreme environmental heat.

Sunburn can be a real problem for a pet whose skin is not protected by its fur. Not only are sunburns painful, but they are also a major risk factor for certain types of cancer. Besides, if you have already shaved your pet, don’t let your pet go out and walk through the woods and grass. These places, usually hot and humid in summer, are places where germs and parasites will multiply quickly. If your pet goes to these places, germs and parasites will get into its fur, and easily cause skin problems.

If large areas of your pet’s body need to be shaved for medical reasons, you might need to consider getting some pet apparel to temporarily protect the skin.

4. Bathing Too Much/Often

It is very comfortable for us to take a bath in the hot summer, many people even bath several times a day. So some pet owners think it should be the same for pets and, hoping that bathing can keep pets cool. 

But this is actually wrong, whether it is you or a pet! Bathing too much will damage the stratum corneum of our skin and make the skin more sensitive. This is the same to your pet. Your pet needs natural oils produced by the skin to promote hair growth. Over bathing can cause irritation and dryness. So don’t overdo it!

5. Not Using the Correct Pet Shampoo

Some pet owners may use their own soap or shampoo to bathe their pets. Actually, a cat or dog’s skin ph is different from ours, and human soap or shampoo can irritate their skin. Whenever possible, use pet shampoo.