Have you ever put sunscreen on your dog?

Question

My dog (Westie) spends much of the summer months outside on his back with his belly up sun tanning. I'm worried about skin cancer but it's very hard to keep a dog from going in the sun. Have you ever or have you ever heard of putting sunscreen on your dog? Some baby sunscreens come in spray form and that seems like it would be easy to put it on him.

Answer 1

I have never used it on my dog, but I have read and heard of people using it on their dogs all the time. Just recently in DOGFANCY magazine they had an article called To Hot to Handle. It was about how to keep your dog cool in the summer. It talked about how you should put sunscreen on your dog if it has had surgery and has a spot where it's fur was shaved off. It also talks about putting sunscreen on right above their nose where there is a little spot with no fur. It is also a good idea to put sunscreen on white dogs such as Westies, because of their white fur, which will burn a lot easier. You might want to check with your vet first though to make sure you use the right sunscreen. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

In short - don't. Firstly, a Westie as a breed is prone to all sorts of allergies, especially skin allergies. Spraying any form of sunscreen on your dog could potentially cause a horrible reaction.

There are all sorts of chemicals in sunscreen that, while not detrimental to humans, may be detrimental to canines. If he licks it off, it could cause problems in his digestive track, along with the possibility of an allergic reaction.

In the summer months, it is best to keep your dog in a supervised area. Being outside is fine, but he should have accessto an inside area if it gets too hot for him. And if you notice he's been outside for awhile, it's always a good idea to get him to come back inside on your own. :-)

Answer 3

First Of All I Dont Have A Dog I Have A Cat . But I Would Never Put Sun Screen On My Cat Or Dog.

Answer 4

yes, my vet suggested me to rub some sunscreen on my dogs' bellies, just above the snouts, and around the ears
any senstive skin sunscreen will do
i prefer the rubbing sunscreen rather than spray sunscreen though

Answer 5

Yes, my dog have white furry and gets sunburned so in the summer the vet said it's fine to put sunscreen on her.

Answer 6

I have never put sunscreen on any dog that I have ever had; nor have a heard of anyone else doing it. I don't think that it would be necessary and if you do decide to put some on your dog, you need to watch that he doesn't lick it off (as dogs tend to lick anything off of themselves) if he does ingest it, it may make him very sick.

Answer 7

I have a dog with very short white hair, and light skin. When he was younger, he did get sunburned once! Living in a sunny area, I just have to limit his time in the sun, unfortunately. I would be leery about putting people suncreen on him.

Answer 8

Just call your vet and ask them! I believe I have actually heard of it being done before, but you will only want to use what the vet approves of. Your dog will likely try to lick it off (unlike a child), so getting the right product is important. (That is an adorable mental picture btw). My chihuahua loves to sunbathe as well, but he is dark, dark, so he doesn't burn. Also, my neighbor's dauschand goes belly up in their back yard on a daily basis - I think it is his favorite past time. GL - and just call the vet. They won't charge you anything for the advice. :)

Answer 9

Yes, but I agree with one of the others...ask your vet!! I had a blond dog with very short hair and we had to get a special sunscreen for him. It can be done.

Answer 10

Yes and they need it if they are house dogs that do not go outside very often. It will help them not to have skin cancer just like people.