# Is sitting in the sun too long bad for a dog



## ad_1980 (Jan 28, 2009)

Mika loves the sun and will spend most of the time outside when the weather is good. But just how much sun is good for a dog? I'm worried he's going to make himself sick or get dehydrated spending so much time out there. Yes he has water and has been drinking but just how much sun is good for a dog?


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## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

My mostly white dog is a sunworshiper, but he drinks when he is thirsty, and goes into the shade where he is too hot. They only thing i have to be careful of is sunburn. Being white, he has very exposed, pink skin, and has burnt before. 

When the suns really strong in the middle of summer i dont allow him to lay directly in it. The risk of burning is too high.

I dont think they will become dehydrated, aslong as they have access to fresh water, and i dont think its dangerous as such. I wouldnt ever exercise my dog in the middle of the day, or make him play particularily strenuously, as they can over heat quickly. I was involved in the treatment and subsequent death of a dog that had been taken on a long walk in the middle of the day, and its completely avoidable.

Most dogs are smart enough to move when its become too much.


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## Freyja (Jun 28, 2008)

Yes you should keep them in if its very sunny especialy white dogs as they can burn very easily.

We once rehomed our white whippet and he had a small red spot on the inside of a back leg. She phoned us and said her vet had removed it and had it analysed and they said it was a form of skin cancer due to spending too much time in the sun. He was never allowed out when it was hot and sunny. When he came back to us 2 years ago my vet queried this and the fact that she said he had pancreaitis and her vet said he had never removed a lump or said he had cancer. She was just saying it to get money of us not that it worked.


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## GSJ (Sep 7, 2009)

If your dog is getting fat, then you can check with the vet 'cause s/he might just have Hyperthyroidism (or whatever the spelling is). One of my dogs was recently said to have this but the tests came out negative and neither did she have any of the behavioural symtoms - Lazyness, sunbathing (excessive), looking for warm places even when in the house, etc.


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## Guest (Sep 7, 2009)

Dogs with very pale pigment are more prone to skin cancer, just the same as humans.
Moderation in all things


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## ad_1980 (Jan 28, 2009)

i love how you brought this up after months of me posting it. No harm in doing so though lol

Don't worry guys, Mika doesn't sit in the sun. he likes to lie in it but he doesn't lie in it for too long.


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## james1 (Sep 21, 2008)

depends how hot the sun is and how much access to water they have, but yes it can be life threatening


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## Colsy (Oct 3, 2008)

Heatstroke and skin cancer are the main two concerns with the sun.
So a little bit of shade or a parasol would be good.
Fresh water near by what else do you need while sunbathing.


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

surely dogs have hair to protect their skin so unless it is a thinly haired pink skinned dog I cant see the problem. Dogs seem to love overheating. Ours lie in the sun room panting away but they choose to go there and it doesnt do them any harm. Some dogs will lie so close to a fire that they singe but they never seem to learn!


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## Ducky (Nov 23, 2008)

bailey was obsessed with being hot! whether indoors or outdoors! outside he would lie in the sun for ages, i gave him ice cubes to cool down. 
and inside he would make sure he was entirely covered when he was sleeping so he was nice and toasty. he was a weirdo


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## WaveRider (Sep 8, 2009)

Friends of mine have dogs in the Middle East and they spend time in the sun frequently. Generally dogs are not stupid and will not spend hours on end in the sun. Bathing in the shade is common. 

The dogs are both 10 year old ridgebacks and to my knowledge have no indication of skin cancer.

A positive approach is not to over fuss about these things. Dogs may be domesticated but we still need to let them live without too much intervention. Their diet is far more import


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