Sunburn is also something to be concerned about, especially with light-colored animals, such as white cats, white dogs or animals with white on their ears or their nose where the skin is very thin. To keep dogs cool, some owners opt to shave their pet's furry coat. Gaughan said, depending on the breed, a dog's coat can actually keep the animal cool in the summer. So shaving a dog's coat sometimes removes that mechanism, although there are some animals that probably do better without the coat. Gaughan said that not only are pets outside more often in the summertime than in the wintertime, but fleas, ticks and other insects are also prevalent in the summer months.
Fleas can be a source of irritation for a pet, especially if the pet is allergic to fleas.
Additionally, animals can get tapeworms from eating infected fleas. Mosquitoes which transmit heartworm disease are certainly more in abundance in the summertime and having your animal on a heartworm preventive is probably the best method to ensure your animal is not exposed to heartworm disease. Gaughan says summer activities that are fun for both you and your pet can also be harmful to the animal's health and safety. Certainly it's good exercise for arthritic dogs, but they may be prone to exhaustion since arthritic dogs usually are not exercising regularly anyway. Again, check with your veterinarian before beginning an exercise program with your pet.