Summer in Alanya: heat, asphalt, the sea and the shaving question

Summer in Alanya starts in early June and runs to the end of September. That means planning around a four-month routine, not a short heatwave.

Humidity is the real problem

Dogs cool themselves by panting, not sweating. Panting works by evaporating moisture from the lungs — and as humidity rises, that mechanism loses efficiency. So 31 °C with 80% humidity on the coast can be harder on an animal than 36 °C somewhere dry inland.

Looking at the thermometer and deciding "it's not too bad today" is therefore misleading. Check the humidity too.

Asphalt: test it with the back of your hand

At 30 °C air temperature, sunlit asphalt can exceed 50 °C. Put the back of your hand on it and count to five; if you cannot bear it, neither can a paw. Burns on the pads are among the injuries owners notice latest — by the time the animal starts limping, the damage is done.

The practical fix is simple: move walks to early morning and late evening, and choose shade and unpaved ground.

Heatstroke: emergency signs

• Heavy panting that will not settle
• Dark red or bluish gums
• Unsteady walking, stumbling
• Vomiting, diarrhoea
• Unresponsiveness, collapse

Move the animal into shade or somewhere cool immediately, wet it with lukewarm water and call a clinic. Do not use iced water — it constricts blood vessels and makes heat loss harder. Having started to cool the animal is not a reason to skip the clinic; heatstroke can leave delayed internal damage.

Flat-faced breeds (bulldog, boxer, pug, Persian cat) tolerate heat markedly less well. The threshold should be set lower for them.

Never in the car

Even a car parked in shade heats up within minutes, and leaving a window ajar does not meaningfully change that. "I'll be back in two minutes" is one of the sentences clinics hear most in summer.

Sea and pool

• Not every dog can swim; build and chest depth make it hard for some breeds.
• Drinking sea water causes diarrhoea and salt imbalance; carry fresh water.
• Dry the ears after swimming — moisture is the leading cause of summer ear infections.
• Rinse off chlorinated water after the pool to reduce skin irritation.
• In long-coated animals that stay on hot sand, heat can be trapped against the skin.

The summer shave: common but contested

In double-coated breeds (husky, golden retriever, German shepherd) the undercoat does not only keep heat in — it also provides insulation and shields the skin from the sun. Shaving to the skin removes that insulation and raises the risk of sunburn and skin problems; the coat sometimes does not grow back with its original texture.

On the other hand, matted and knotted coat already blocks heat loss, and there clipping can be the right call. So the answer depends on breed and coat condition — which is why it is worth asking your vet, or a groomer who knows the breed, before you book.

This page is general information. If you suspect heatstroke, call a clinic without delay; first aid is not a substitute for examination.