When exercising your dog in the summer try to avoid the hottest part of the day, and don’t play with them outside when the temperatures are high. Many dogs just don’t know when to stop and will continue to play with a ball despite over-heating.

You may underestimate just how hot a pavement can become – even the sand on our lovely beaches can be painful for a dog to walk on. Always place your hand on the surface to check its temperature or, better still, stick to walking in shaded areas on grass.

A paddling pool may help your dog to cool down, and they should have access to fresh, cool water at all times. Heatstroke can kill, and overweight dogs and those with short noses are particularly at risk.

Pets with white noses and ears are at risk of getting these areas sunburnt, and so they should have a high-factor (SPF 30 or above), pet-safe sunscreen applied. Many pet owners think that human sunscreens are suitable for animals, but they often contain chemicals that may be toxic if digested in sufficient quantity.

At this time of year rabbits are at risk of fly strike, which is when flies lay eggs underneath fur, particularly the warm, damp fur underneath a rabbit’s tail. The eggs soon hatch into maggots that eat into the rabbit’s flesh causing a fatal wound in just a couple of days. Because fly strike is difficult for an owner to see, and because rabbits will mask their pain as a ‘prey animal’, they need a physical examination every day. An owner also needs to ensure that their rabbit has clean bedding, and isn’t sitting in urine-soaked shavings or hay which will attract flies.