Hot Dog Anyone?

jessicamb

a hot tea towel over their heads - in school play wise men fashion - if they will let you. Really helps to cool dogs down.

pollyanna24

My staff hates water, so I can't pour water over her (well I could but...)

She's petrified of the watering can as one of our lodgers tried sprinkling her with water when it was really hot one day.

Would a towel soaked in water draped over her cool her down or am I likely to be leading her to a fear in towels?

wuno

I measured the highest dog rectal temprature of my 12 year career as a vet at the weekend: 108.5 F (43 C). We thought there was no chance of saving it, but after three hours draped in a wet teatowel, with a fan on full blast, and having surgical spirit poured on its legs and a drip running through ice, it walked out the door wagging its tail.

So that's how we do it.

Best way to cool a moderately hot dog down is drape it in a wet towel and stick it next to a fan.

Ice cold water can lead to vomiting, and so I wouldn't give it.

Once a dog is seriously overheated, the trick is not to cool it down too fast. It needs to be controlled, so really need to get him to the vet.

But as many of you so rightly say. Prevention is better than cure. Just pick an appropriate time for excercise and don't do too much. Don't rely on your dog to tell you when it's had enough. I have a Labrador who would happily chase a ball until she collapses.

suki1964

Ive only ever used wet towels and fans on an over heated dog - same as I would a child. But once you have allowed a dog to get that hot once - you never do it again

Im up early to walk him now, walk him again after tea and take him out for a game or swim in the river come 9/10 pm. So I dont get to sit in front of the tv all night but then I didnt buy a dog to just ignore his needs

sammy_kaye18

suki1964 wrote: »

So I dont get to sit in front of the tv all night but then I didnt buy a dog to just ignore his needs

well put :T :T :T :T

i took my bruno out on sunday morning at about 10am. It was warm but not hot and we were out for a matter of 20 minutes at most before he started panting. Thankfully the little area we were is half sun, half shade and i always carry a doggy drinking bottle (£1 in poundland with the bottle and little tray on a rope) with me so he had a drink and a lay down and as soon as he was happy we took the shady walk home through all the houses and apartments.

He has been having time in the garden but my side of the garden (communal as im a ground floor flat) is all shaded and next doors has abotu 2/3 foot of sun so he is happy bimbling about having a sniff in there a few times a day but at least hes out to do his business and not confined and hes never left alone.

It worries me though as yesterday i went out for a picnic with my little boy for lunch and it was 26 degrees yesterday adn the amount of dogs out and abotu was :eek: - my pooch was curled up in his nice cool hallway with a mini clip on fan left on for him and fresh cold water!

suki1964

sammy_kaye18 wrote: »

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It worries me though as yesterday i went out for a picnic with my little boy for lunch and it was 26 degrees yesterday adn the amount of dogs out and abotu was :eek: - my pooch was curled up in his nice cool hallway with a mini clip on fan left on for him and fresh cold water!

I was in work yesterday and sunday and both days I went out to move my car to a new shade spot mid afternoon and you would have suffocated in the car - 28 degrees outside. ANYONE taking a dog out in those temps needs their heads examining and read the riot act. Sure the tar has melted on the roads - imagine what that heat is doing to paws :eek:

And people do need to remember the temps shown on the TV are the SHADE temps - its a lot warmer out there in the sun

catkins

suki1964 wrote: »

I was in work yesterday and sunday and both days I went out to move my car to a new shade spot mid afternoon and you would have suffocated in the car - 28 degrees outside. ANYONE taking a dog out in those temps needs their heads examining and read the riot act. Sure the tar has melted on the roads - imagine what that heat is doing to paws :eek:

And people do need to remember the temps shown on the TV are the SHADE temps - its a lot warmer out there in the sun

I agree. I get really angry when I see people walking their dogs in the middle of the day when it is red hot. Can you imagine how a dog with all that fur feels and, as you say, imagine how hot the pavement must get.

As I said in my post, I am getting up earlier and earlier to walk my dog. I am an early riser but not normally 5am!!!! People say "oh aren't you good walking your dog early". Well I don't think it is a matter of being good but being a responsible pet owner. Some mornings I really do not want to get up so early but I know if I don't it will be too warm. Some mornings it is really too warm even by 8am. My dog has very thick long hair and is black so he really does feel even the slightest rise in temperature.

ZootHornRollo

cally1978 wrote: »

Read somewhere, can't remember where but anyway they said to cool a dog down quicky splash water onto their stomach????????

Thats right.

Dogs cool from the bottom up, thats why they'll lie down in a puddle if they are too hot.

A paddling pool is a good thing to have about if you will be in the garden with your dogs for a while, at a BBQ for example. Asda had some for about £2 last time i was i'n. got 2 in case one gets punctured.

penguin83

Have no experience with dogs but my chestnut horse has a very pink muzzle - so she gets sun block applied to that. I also bring her in for a couple of hours when it is very hot so she is in the shade as she is old and wont necessarily go to the shade if there is other horses around (she cant get away in a hurry anymore bless her!)

x x

JCR

We took our two golden retrievers out on Sunday afternoon - it was hot in the sun, but we took them to a shaded wood with a stream running along the path, so they could dip in and out whenever they felt like it. It has cooled down here in South Wales considerably since the weekend.

I have been concerned that they would get too hot, but so far they seem to be managing it ok - one of them lived in France and was there in 2003 when the temperature was in the 40's.

We are taking them to France next week - my concern is how to keep them cool on the drive down. We will have the windows open etc and have water on tap for them, I am going to take a spray bottle so that I can spray over them during the course of the trip. I don't think the weather is forecast to be too hot either here or in France for Sunday - so we may be lucky.

I may get criticized for taking them to France during the summer months - but the only alternative is to put them in kennels and they would not be happy there at all.