Overview
- Vets Now renewed the guidance on Friday, saying emergency clinicians have recently treated multiple severe paw‑burn cases and that many were preventable with simple checks.
- The recommended check is to press the back of your hand to the pavement for seven seconds and avoid walking your dog if you cannot comfortably hold it there.
- Vets Now cited research showing that asphalt can reach about 52°C when air is 25°C and roughly 62°C when air hits 31°C, temperatures that can burn tissue very quickly.
- Artificial grass and rubber running‑track surfaces can heat to similarly dangerous levels, so owners should not assume non-asphalt surfaces are safe.
- Because dogs cool poorly through sweating and have sensitive paw pads, owners should plan walks for cooler hours, seek shaded routes, or avoid outdoor walks to reduce avoidable emergency‑vet visits during the continuing heatwave.