Hot And Bothered

[kateykateykatey]

Scrimp (8 yo Border male border collie x) seems to be coping poorly with the heat, I think- but only the last few days. He seems to be panting a lot (even at night, when it's cooler) and has been barking very late at night/early morning to the point where last night we let him inside, and he was still barking in the bathroom (which is uncommon).

He does tend to bark when weather changes, and has severe thunderstorm phobia, but last night's barking was beyond what I would consider normal.

I'm not sure if it's the heat, or there's other issues there.

I'll have a chat to our dog trainer tonight, but in the interim, has anyone got any related stories or suggestions?

I can't decide if it's because he's not coping with the heat, or it's anxiety related, lack of stimulation -we've scaled back the exercise because it's been so hot, but he's still doing daily obedience.

[Staffyluv]

Do you have a cool mat for him? if not you could give him a clam shell or kiddies blow up pool with a bit of water in it that he can lay in?

Let him inside so he can lay on the bathroom tiles?

Freeze containers full of water overnight and put them into his water bucket during the day to keep it really cold.

Freeze some juice or stock and give to him as a treat (in ice cube trays)...

Good luck, this heat is bad for the dogs.

[kateykateykatey]

Yeah, I completely forgot about the iceblock idea- my brother does this for his dog. Thanks

He's not a great fan of the water (we have a pool) but a kiddie pool might be a bit less intimidating to him.

I'm beginning to wonder if he spends all day exhausted from the heat, and feels a bit revived as it cools... maybe.

[xiaorose]

I give mine big ice block in themorning before I leave for work and he'll have ice water through the day

i'll also give frozen chicken frames, wings, necks, feets or other frozen meaty bones, etc. That'll help them cool down internally.

Cool mat will work if your's doesn't have the habit in teariing them apart.

[chuckie500]

If he is panting when its not too hot and hasn't been running around, & its quite persistant, i'd take him to the vet. i think some older dogs get congestive heart problems & can't exchange air in their lungs that well & need some medication to help. Just a thought.