Serotonin Production
Serotonin is good stuff. It’s the hormone that makes us and our pups feel happy and relaxed. Being stuck indoors cuts off our access to the mighty sun, so your pup searches for a spot in the house where she can soak in it. Walking and playing outside are also great ways to grab some serotonin and fill up on the happy hormone.
Vitamin D
Humans get their vitamin D fix from fatty fish, egg yolks, mushrooms, cod liver oil and vitamin D-fortified dairy products. Your dog’s food may have some of those ingredients, but he can also get his fill as vitamin D shoots down on him from his ray of sun.
Vitamin D helps mammals to absorb phosphorus and calcium, aiding in the development of bones and preventing osteoporosis. It also helps develop muscles, muscle contractions and the nervous system. Your pooch actually licks his body to ingest the vitamin D because it can’t penetrate his fur.
Warms Body Temperature
In cold weather, the light is like a blanket. Your pup may spend some time next to a heating vent and the rest of the day charging via solar power.
Soothes Aches and Pains
The warmth almost acts like a heating pad for older dogs with aches and pains and soothes them.
Sunlight is an Anti-Bacterial
This is a nice surprise. Who knew that the all-powerful sun could kill bacteria and yeast? The sun has many miraculous properties that it shares with us and our doggies. Your pooch can roll around in the dirt and eat questionable and mysterious things, and in many cases, the sun protects her from getting sick.
Regulates Circadian Rhythm
Sunlight increases melatonin production and regulates your pup’s sleep cycle, resulting in deep and long-lasting sleep.
Providing Sun For Fido On Cloudy Days
If you live in an area that doesn’t have a lot of sunny days or if you’d like to give your pooch some light therapy when it’s raining or gloomy, you can buy a UVB light.
How Much Sun Is Too Much?
Dogs with thin fur, no fur and white fur are especially at risk of sunburn, sunstroke and heat stroke in the raw sun. Fortunately, windows block out ultraviolet rays. Our vet instructed us to apply sunscreen to the pink area of our pup’s white snout when outdoors. Canines need about 30 to 40 minutes of sun exposure each day.
Tips To Prevent Your Fur Baby From Overheating
Your pooch should know when it’s time to head to the shade. Make sure that he always has a big bowl of fresh water. If he’s panting more than usual, wet his head with a cold cloth. Apply sunscreen to hairless dogs or any pink skin showing on white dogs. Make sure your pup doesn’t spend hours in the sun when it’s strongest from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
If your fur baby is fluffy and tends to get very hot in the summer, you might want to get her a cooling mat.
Heatstroke occurs when someone exercises or is in the sun (or both) and gets very hot very quickly. Sunstroke happens if heat stroke isn’t treated and is even more serious.
Signs That Your Dog May Have Heatstroke
If your pooch is exhibiting any of the following symptoms, cool his head and body with wet, cold towels or cloths. Take him to the vet if they continue.
- Breathing rapidly
- Blue skin indicating lack of oxygen
- A body temperature above 101.5° F or 38.6° C
- Discoloured tongue caused by dehydration
- Drooling excessively
- Muscle Tremors
- Unsteadiness
- Very fast heart rate
- Vomiting
Brachycephalic dogs, breeds with short snouts, are twice as likely to overheat than others. A study showed that the following breeds are particularly at risk of heatstroke:
- Chow Chow (17 times more likely to suffer from heatstroke)
- Bulldog (14 times)
- French Bulldog (six times)
- French Mastiff (five times)
- Greyhound (four times)
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (three times)
- Pug (three times)
- English Springer Spaniel (three times)
- Golden Retriever (three times)
Conclusion
Dogs love to lay in the sun because it’s very comfortable and relaxing. They benefit from the sun in many ways: it helps them to produce serotonin–a mood booster, provides vitamin D, warms them when it’s cold, kills bacteria, helps soothe aches and pains in older dogs, is calming, regulates circadian rhythm to stabilize their sleep cycle and induces deep sleep.
Always make sure your pup has cold water available when he’s sunning himself. Monitor him to ensure he doesn’t overheat if he’s outside and limit his time outside during the hours the sun is strongest.
