Talk about a hot dog! Can your dog become sunburned if he spends too much time out in the sun? If you are thinking, "Hey, my dog has fur to protect him," you are not alone. Many people believe that the dog’s fur will protect him from the harmful rays of the sun. However, this is not true. A dog can become a victim to sunburn in the same way that humans do.
Too much time spent in the sun irritates the dog’s skin. The harsh rays can lead to dermatitis or sunburn, causing your dog to experience discomfort or even pain. You can easily recognize sunburn on your dog due to the increased redness of the skin. When the sunburn is extremely bad, your dog might experience some loss of fur as well. In fact, it is probably best to take your dog to the veterinarian for treatment when he has experienced severe sunburn.
In particular, certain areas of the dog’s skin are more sensitive. Therefore, they are also more likely to become sunburned. The bridge of the dog’s nose, the tips of his ears, his belly, and the inside of the leg area are all more sensitive since they receive the least amount of exposure to sunlight. Plus, although we have already stated that the dog’s fur will not entirely protect him, these areas have very little or no fur at all.
The best solution is to avoid allowing your dog to spend too much time out in the sunlight in the first place. Follow the same guidelines offered to prevent sunburn in people. Keep your pet indoors during the time that the sun’s rays are the harshest - between 10 A.M. and 2 P.M.
Realize that sunburn can exacerbate existing conditions that your dog might have including cancer, sin diseases, and skin ulcers. If you must have your dog exposed to sunlight, attempt to provide a shady location for him so that he can avoid the harshness of direct sunlight.
Sunlight is beneficial to your dog; so don’t avoid the sun completely. The sun promotes Vitamin D and that helps to balance your pet’s metabolism and level of calcium. Allow your dog a healthy dose of sunlight and no more in order to keep him happy and healthy.
Source: http://www.healthguidance.org/authors/324/Jason-Ladock
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