Vet urges pet owners to use suncream on their cats and dogs amid extreme heat warnings

As most of the UK continues to experience insane temperatures, Dr. Scott Miller of This Morning fame has urged all pet owners to lather up their furry brethren.

In a handy car-filmed TikTok explainer, the veterinary surgeon was keen to remind us all that animals are susceptible to skin cancers, not just humans.

Recalling the tale of a stray cat named Bobby, Miller highlighted how her ears were the giveaway for a life-threatening diagnosis after spending way too much time in direct sunlight.

Apparently, Bobby's ears were scabby, curling and missing some hair.

"With a little bit of investigation, we found her to be suffering from Squamous cell carcinoma," he told his social media fanbase.

"That is one of the skin cancers that we see in pets - the other one is melanoma, which is a typically nasty disease that can spread to vital organs and cause death quite quickly. So it's really important that as pet owners we are vigilant about changes to the skin and particularly the pigmentation of more lightly-skinned, pale animals or especially where they have a lot of bald patches."

The vet, who categorically would 'never' own these breeds of dog, then encouraged canine and feline pet owners to apply special suncream to their skin in tremendous heat.

"Now that suncream does need to be specific to pets," Miller caveated, "because many have zinc oxide [in them] which is toxic to animals, so do make sure that you apply that to the ears, to the nose, just any areas which are hairless."

Not only do your favourite suncream brands feature zinc oxide, their potentially life-ending (for pets) ingredients also include para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA).

As for how to slap the Factor 30 (or higher) onto your beloved pooch or kitten, the PDSA has provided a three-step approach on their website.

It reads: "Step 1: Use a pet-safe, long-lasting suncream that is at least Factor 30. We recommend applying suncream to a small area of skin first and allowing 24 hours to ensure no reactions occur.

"Step 2: Then, pop a little bit of suncream on your finger and gently apply a thin layer to cover the white and light patches of skin that are exposed on your pet. If your pet is frightened and won't let you apply the cream, then gently touch their light patches of skin, such as their ears, without any suncream on your hands and reward them with a treat. Build on this until they are happy with you applying the suncream.

"Step 3: After you've applied the suncream, distract your pet from licking it off by playing with them or giving them treats. If you find yourself struggling to apply the suncream, contact your vet for advice."

Look after your precious animals properly folks!