Dogs and hot weather

[MarkS]

Posted this before but with the temperatures rising thought I'd post it again.

If your dog suffers in the hot weather like mine does then here is a simple and effective tip to help them keep cool.

Soak a towel in cold water. Rinse out excess water. Place the towel in the bottom of your fridge for at least 1 hour.

Drape the towel over the dog when needed.

I also just place the towel on the floor and my dog lays down on it.

Simple and effective relief from the heat.

[fred]

I try to keep ours' bellies wet - once heard this is where they lose a lot of heat from - may be right, may be wrong.

And fortunately, they love playing the "hosepipe game“.

& remember, do not leave your dog in an empty vehicle even with the window open - it is just too hot!

Right, off to the beach with them now

[Perpetua]

I gently pour a watering can full of water over mine before we go out for a walk, as he's a little wary of the hose.

You can also get these:

www.dfordog.co.uk/thermlow-dog-cooling-vest.html

An ex neighbour of mine found them really effective for her black Lab . . . though someone did tell her off for pouring water over him while they were out walking, just to keep the cool levels topped up. She did explain why she was doing it.

[charon]

Thankfully, even though they are still pups, our three copy mum and will follow the shaded areas around. However at the hottest part of the day they will come inside and their room is fitted with a couple of large osccilating fans. (to date they have left the wires alone!!)

[300]

Jul 17, 2014 9:29:28 GMT Perpetua said:

I gently pour a watering can full of water over mine before we go out for a walk, as he's a little wary of the hose.

You can also get these:

www.dfordog.co.uk/thermlow-dog-cooling-vest.html

An ex neighbour of mine found them really effective for her black Lab . . . though someone did tell her off for pouring water over him while they were out walking, just to keep the cool levels topped up. She did explain why she was doing it.

Got one of these for our Beardie (different make though) from viovet & it works brilliantly. Get some strange looks though, dog wearing a jacket on hot sunny day.

[Perpetua]

Jul 17, 2014 14:35:46 GMT 300 said:

Jul 17, 2014 9:29:28 GMT Perpetua said:

I gently pour a watering can full of water over mine before we go out for a walk, as he's a little wary of the hose.

You can also get these:

www.dfordog.co.uk/thermlow-dog-cooling-vest.html

An ex neighbour of mine found them really effective for her black Lab . . . though someone did tell her off for pouring water over him while they were out walking, just to keep the cool levels topped up. She did explain why she was doing it.

Got one of these for our Beardie (different make though) from viovet & it works brilliantly. Get some strange looks though, dog wearing a jacket on hot sunny day.

Lol, there is that 300 . . . though I've only just taken my fleece off today out walking, but I still carried it incase I felt chilly.

So I'm pretty much used to strange looks one way or another.

[sleedale]

There have been warnings about giving dogs iced water etc when they are really hot. Which makes sense. Dogs don't need very cold or freezing water to drink or on them, just cooler than they are. A wet towel works for our dog, or a paddle if we can get near water. Look after them in the heat, cos they look after us all the time.

[MarkS]

Jul 18, 2014 13:20:58 GMT sleedale said:

There have been warnings about giving dogs iced water etc when they are really hot. Which makes sense. Dogs don't need very cold or freezing water to drink

Although rare there have been cases where iced water has caused bloat (gastric torsion) in dogs. So although it is unlikely to happen it is something to keep in mind, especially if you have older or deep chested dogs which are more susceptible to bloat.

[Phoenix .]

I have a little dog that loves to lie down in the garden on his belly, just surveying the area is cat free while the birds are eating, he only drinks when he is really thirsty, cannot be persuaded. He refuses to come inside, loves the sun.
He hates going out for his walks if it is raining even with his jacket on, his tail is down all the while we are out.
He loves the wind in his face too.
He has been in the garden most of today, he usually follows me around the house all day, he is a Yorkie x Papillon with a mind of his own.

[MarkS]

Jul 18, 2014 17:48:24 GMT Phoenix . said:

I have a little dog that loves to lie down in the garden on his belly, just surveying the area is cat free while the birds are eating, he only drinks when he is really thirsty, cannot be persuaded. He refuses to come inside, loves the sun.
He hates going out for his walks if it is raining even with his jacket on, his tail is down all the while we are out.
He loves the wind in his face too.
He has been in the garden most of today, he usually follows me around the house all day, he is a Yorkie x Papillon with a mind of his own.

That would be the Terrier in him

I used to look after an English Bull Terrier who would go out on my balcony and cook. Being south facing it gets so hot out there that it melts the tarmac.
Apparently the neighbours 3 doors down could hear him panting, but being a stubborn terrier he'd refuse to move into the shade if you tried to shift him.

[wibble]

I have a sweet little jack russell ... ok so I lie !! I have a little hooligan. But I make sure in hot weather the kitchen blinds are down to keep him cool and some think I am a bad owner but if we go out and it's hot and I know we're gonna stop for dinner or something I will leave him at home rather than take him with me and have to leave him in the car like some idiots do in hot weather !! There is nothing that annoys me more than on a hot day seeing a poor dog in a car with the windows wound down a fraction of an inch as people think thats OK. I'd rather leave my little fella at home in the kitchen with the blinds down and then take him out for a long walk in the evening when it's cooler ... people who leave the dogs in hot cars shouldn't own dogs ! (sorry for the rant .. but this is one BIG 'pet' hate of mine!!)

[wibble]

My idiot dog (sorry .. cute little dog) is currently dealing with the extreme heat by running around like an idiot trying to catch sodding flies !!!

[Phoenix .]

Jul 18, 2014 18:06:25 GMT wibble said:

My idiot dog (sorry .. cute little dog) is currently dealing with the extreme heat by running around like an idiot trying to catch sodding flies !!![/quote

My dog eats them, that must be the Papillon in him, they are a delicacy so I am told.

[Perpetua]

Jul 18, 2014 17:52:29 GMT MarkS said:

That would be the Terrier in him

I used to look after an English Bull Terrier who would go out on my balcony and cook. Being south facing it gets so hot out there that it melts the tarmac.
Apparently the neighbours 3 doors down could hear him panting, but being a stubborn terrier he'd refuse to move into the shade if you tried to shift him.

That's my last dog ( a terrier ) to a T Mark . . . any chink of sunshine, no matter it's size or how hot he got, he had to lie in it.

I bought him a child's paddling pool, started off with the inflatable sort - spent an age pumping it up and filling it. Went to answer the phone and came back to a patio awash with water and shredded plastic, with a small terrier looking quite pleased with himself in the middle of the mess.

After that I bought a rigid sided one, which survived for years and he loved.

[Deleted]

I use the wet towel method if my dog looks overheated. I tend to walk him in the cool of the early morning or evening, and choose shady woodland walks, nice for me also.
There's a pool in the woods near me and after a hot day an evening swim cools him off. It's the only time I like the spray of cold water on my legs when he come as close
as he can before he shakes

When my dog was young, he's a 12yr old Springer, he could dig for England. In the summer he would dig under a shrub in the shade and lie in the hollow.
I think he was uncovering damp, cool earth to lie in. He still does it and the hollow is now a hole about 2ft deep.