Your Skin and Sun Website Adds Doggie T-shirts to Sun Protective Clothing Collection

Citrus Heights, CA, July 25, 2007—Dogs with pale skin, white or sparse hair are more at risk of sunburn. And they can get skin cancer and other sun related diseases. Even their underside can get sunburned from UV light reflected from pavement and sand.

If dogs wear T-shirts in the summer, they’re skin is still receiving sun exposure. T-shirts made with 100% cotton jersey have a Ultraviolet Protective Factor of about 5. Ultraviolet Protection Factor or UPF, is a rating that stands for a fabric’s ability to protect the skin from Ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UPF 5 is a low value on the sun protective scale—UV rays shine right through and reach the skin. The rating system is similar to the SPF ratings for sunscreen. To be considered sun protective, shirts need to be at least UPF 15.

That is why on August 6, Diana Clarke, founder of Exceleste, a publishing company, and The Sun and Your Skin online store, will start selling doggie T-shirts for small and toy breed dogs featuring mostly her own photos and designs. Some will be available as early as August 1. And she treats the Tees with Rit® SunGuard.

SunGuard increases a Tee from UPF 5 to up to UPF 30. Ultraviolet Protection Factor or UPF, is a rating that stands for a fabric’s ability to protect the skin from Ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The rating system is similar to the SPF ratings for sunscreen.

UV rays are absorbed by the T-shirts’ cotton fibers instead of penetrating through them to skin. The T-shirts block more than 96% of UVB/UVA rays and will continue to be effective for up to 20 washings.

SunGuard contains TINOSORB®, a UV protectant. SunGuard has the Skin Cancer Foundation seal of approval and is recommended by dermatologists and the Goodhousekeeping Research Institute. And the product is non-toxic, so it is safe for dogs.

The Sun and Your Skin will be selling doggie tanktops, t-shirts, ruffled girly shirts, and lighter weight hoodies. They are all made with 100% cotton. The hoodies, for instance, are soft, stretchy 100% combed ringspun baby rib knit 1x1.

“Other stores offer doggie T-shirts but I may be the first store offering sun protective shirts treated with SunGuard. But I don’t sell sunscreen for dogs. You should ask your veterinarian for advice on safe and effective sunscreens for your pet,” says Clarke. “Their nose, face and ear tips are areas more likely to get sunburned.

Visit her website at yourskinandsun.com to read informative videos and articles on sun protection and to buy sun shirts. And visit yourskinandsun.com/dogsunburn.html to read “Protect Your Pets from Sunburn.”

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Diana Clarke is a health educator and California certified teacher. Her articles on sun protection have appeared in newspapers and magazines, including the San Jose Mercury News. One of her articles, “Melanin: Aging of the Skin and Skin Cancer” has been cited in Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. Some of the animals she photographs for the T-shirts, she also videotapes, and they have aired on Animal Planet’s The Planet’s Funniest Animals.