Vet's plea to millions of Australian pet owners over seemingly harmless act as temperatures rise

Vets are issuing an important plea to pet owners as summer gets closer and temperatures start to spike across Australia: don't dress your pets up.

It's common to see pets – especially dogs – rocking holiday-themed costumes on social media and in photos around the end of the year and most Aussies assume it's a totally harmless habit.

The truth is it's putting the estimated 29 million pets in the country at risk.

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RSPCA NSW Chief Veterinarian Dr Liz Arnott warns that pet body costumes available at major retailers pose significant overheating risks in the summer months.

"They can't tell us when they're feeling hot," she tells 9honey Pets.

"We can advocate for ourselves and take clothes on and off but you're not going to be able to tell what their temperature level is very easily."

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Arnott warns that by dressing pets up in body costumes, especially pets with long coats, owners risk compromising their ability to stay comfortable in the sweltering Australian heat.

Body costumes that pull apart or include props can also pose ingestion hazards and other health risks, like stress.

The truth is that most animals don't enjoy being dressed up in body costumes but many owners mistake their stress reactions, such as freezing or staying very still, as the pet being calm.

"If an animal is particularly still or immobile, it doesn't mean that they're calm and comfortable. It's an abnormal behavior that can indicate stress," Arnott explains.

"Don't assume because an animal's not vocalising or running away that it's happy. There are other abnormal behaviors, like being very still or frozen, that can indicate that they're really not comfortable."

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This is especially true of cats, and the RSPCA website states cats should not be dressed up in costumes at all.

Most cats will not tolerate it and costumes can cause significant stress for cats. They can also pose serious health and injury risks.

"Cats have a propensity to climb, so they're always going to be higher risk for getting themselves tangled or caught up," Arnott says.

"The reality with cats and costumes is that it's pretty universally not a great idea."

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