Heat and Your Pet’s Skin: How to Protect Your Pet’s Skin from the Heat

17-06-2026

How Heat Affects Your Pet’s Skin: Dryness, Wounds, and Natural Solutions

With the arrival of high temperatures and longer daylight hours, we often worry about heatstroke or keeping our dogs and cats properly hydrated. However, there is one major aspect that is often overlooked and directly affected by summer conditions: the skin.

Our pets’ skin barrier is highly sensitive to environmental changes. Intense heat, dry air, and sun exposure not only dry out the skin but can also encourage the development of lesions that may become more complicated than expected.

So, how exactly does heat affect your pet’s skin, and what can you do to restore its health naturally? Let’s take a closer look.

How Heat Affects Pets’ Skin Health

The skin is the body’s largest organ, and its primary role is to act as a protective shield. When temperatures rise, this barrier can be compromised in several ways:

Dry Skin and Flaking

Just as it happens to us, prolonged exposure to hot weather and dry environments causes the skin of dogs and cats to lose its natural moisture. This results in dehydrated, dull skin and the appearance of dandruff or flaking.

Dry skin loses elasticity and becomes much more prone to cracking and itching, leading pets to scratch constantly.

Superficial Wounds and Scabs

Scratching caused by itching, walks through fields where dry plants and grass awns are common, or friction against rough, sharp, or hot surfaces can lead to small superficial wounds.

If these lesions are not treated promptly, the pet’s licking and scratching can introduce microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, resulting in scabs, eczema, and localized infections.

Other Skin Conditions and Challenges

Our four-legged companions are exposed to many everyday situations that can affect their skin in different ways:

Chafing and superficial wounds: Rough play at the park, friction from harnesses, or minor falls can cause abrasions and scratches. Although these injuries are usually mild, licking and scratching can make them larger or delay healing.

Dermatitis, eczema, and hot spots: Reactions to flea bites, food allergies, or environmental allergens can trigger intense itching. Dogs and cats often scratch or bite the affected areas vigorously, causing wounds that eventually develop scabs. During hot weather, “hot spots” are particularly common—areas of skin that become red, moist, and extremely uncomfortable within a matter of hours.

Superficial burns and cracks: Walking on hot pavement can damage dogs’ paw pads. Likewise, areas with little hair coverage, such as the ears or nose, may suffer mild sunburn. Continuous contact with hard surfaces can also excessively dry areas like the elbows, leading to painful cracks that make movement uncomfortable.

In addition, there are situations where skin wounds become a real challenge. For example, in animals living with leishmaniasis, the parasite weakens the skin’s ability to regenerate, particularly in areas exposed to friction or environmental stress, such as the ears, elbows, paw pads, and nose.

In these cases, it is very common to see chronic wounds that fail to heal properly or take months to close. Heat and humidity can further worsen these lesions, increasing cracking and discomfort.

ArteDerm®: A Natural Ally to Restore, Hydrate, and Protect the Skin

Restoring the health of the skin barrier requires more than simply cleaning the affected area. The skin also needs nutrients that support repair and regeneration from the outside. This is where ArteDerm® becomes an essential addition to your pet’s care kit.

Our topical solution has been specifically designed to respect and enhance the skin’s natural healing mechanisms, providing comprehensive care through its botanical properties:

Restoring Dry Skin

ArteDerm® intensely hydrates skin that has become dehydrated due to heat. By restoring lost moisture and elasticity, it helps soothe itching quickly and interrupts the scratching cycle that contributes to skin damage.

Supporting Superficial Wounds and Scabs

When applied to superficial areas such as abrasions, eczema, or cracked skin, ArteDerm® helps cleanse the skin, soften scabs, and support the natural healing process, preventing minor injuries from becoming more serious.

Care for Sensitive and Fragile Skin

Thanks to the regenerative and protective properties of its plant-based compounds, ArteDerm® is an excellent support for maintaining skin health in animals prone to increased skin wear and tear (including skin deterioration associated with leishmaniasis, among other conditions). It helps keep vulnerable areas more elastic, nourished, and resilient against the challenges of summer.

Daily Care That Is Safe and Easy

One of the greatest advantages of ArteDerm® is its excellent tolerability and ease of application. Formulated with carefully selected natural ingredients, it provides daily relief and protection without side effects, making it a safe choice for your companion’s well-being.

This summer, don’t overlook your pet’s skin health. Schedule walks during the cooler parts of the day, inspect your pet’s body after outdoor activities, and rely on ArteDerm® to restore the hydration, elasticity, and vitality their skin needs to stay comfortable and healthy throughout the season.

👉 Have you noticed your pet’s skin becoming dry or developing minor abrasions due to the heat? Discover how ArteDerm® can help your pet regain healthy, comfortable skin. Contact us for more information.