As the temperature rises, it might be best to leave Fido home on your afternoon jog. Dogs suffer heat exhaustion and worse yet, heat stroke faster than we do. Awareness of hot surfaces such as asphalt and cement is important when walking or jogging with your dog. Understanding the risks is important to keep your best friend safe.

We all love being with our dogs, so it just seems natural to want them to go for a jog with us. Why not, it is healthy for us and our pup too. However, when the heat index rises it could mean injury to your beloved friend.

Here is what you need to know.

Dogs can only cool themselves by panting. We as humans sweat, which is released onto the skin as it evaporates it helps to decrease the excess heat on our bodies. Our pups cooling system is mainly through its tongue. In simplistic terms, the dog cools its body by literally cooling the fluid in its mouth by providing a steady stream of air through its mouth, known as panting. To keep this cooling system working efficiently our pup needs lots of water. They do have sweat pads in their feet, but do not have the ability to have rapid heat loss through sweat.

Heat stroke is a reality for our pets and it happens quickly. Our pets want to keep up with us, so they will keep running when their body systems start to fail. As a rule, professionals recommend that if the temperature and humidity are greater than 150, it is best to leave your dog at home. In other words, if the humidity is at 80% and the temperature is 84 than its feeling like 164 to your pet. Remember, it's your choice to jog in hot temperatures, your pet can not say no. Imagine running with a fur coat on in temperatures greater than 150 and you will be able to relate a little to what your dog feels. Even if the temperature is 70 degrees, but the humidity is at 80% you're looking at a reading of 150 which is just too hot for your dog. Dogs can suffer pad abrasions, pad burns and soreness on their paws too.

Heat stroke can come on quickly and be deadly. If your pup exhibits, vomiting, malaise, excessive panting, dark red or dark pink gums, collapse, elevated heart rate, diarrhea, bruising, kidney failure, difficulty breathing, they may be in heat stroke. Quickly cooling your pup down and immediately seeking veterinarian care is utmost important. Better yet, just be safe and leave your pup home during the hottest part of the day. Exercise early morning and late evening when the heat index tends to fall.

It is a great thing to bond and exercise with our pets. They love it, but just like children they look to us to make the right decisions for them. Be smart and safe this summer and plan your outdoor workouts for a time that is good for you and your pet.

For more information about fitness, please contact Kay Colgan, Middleburg Pilates and Personal training at 540-687-6995 or 14 S. Madison Street, Middleburg, Virginia.