Puppy And Hot Weather

[koalathebear]

Yesterday, Elbie was panting quite a lot and his breathing was quite quick as he was sleeping. We were a bit anxious about him but he was totally fine today when the weather was much cooler so it appears that he's not very comfortable when it's very hot.

Does anyone have any suggestions about how to counter the heat? He does not like going anywhere near the fan so we can't point the fan at him because he just goes somewhere else. There's plenty of water for him to drink any time he wants but that doesn't seem cool him down at all. Alas, we don't have air conditioning in this house - just fans ... Thanks very much in advance!

[ravenau1]

Hi KTB

I noticed in the WA thread in General a while back there was much talk about cool coats from a place called Clean Run. Perhaps pop in there and ask about them, they seem popular and it gets pretty hot over here!

[Sandra777]

Keep the fans on where he is, the movement of the air will help even if he never figures out that lying in the breeze is good (most eventually do!) Shell pool in a shady spot, ice cubes in his water, frozen blocks of ice made of chicken broth or just with stuff frozen in it for him to chew up (some say ice can cause bloat, this wouldn't be a major issue with him would it?) Deep shade, plenty of air movement and remember that panting is a dog's way of sweating so if you're sweating he probably will be too.

Be aware that 2 or 3 days of above normal heat can induce heat stroke even if it's never really been "hot'' as such. Humidity is worse for dogs than dry heat (assuming they have shade water etc) but that should be OK in ACT shouldn't it?

[lilli_star]

Frozen iceblocks with or without treats? I 3/4 fill a container of water, then top up with chicken stock, add some treats and freeze.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

i wet towels and leave them on the floor for jaxx to lie on if she wants.

i also wet towels and hang them over her crate.

if it is really hot i leave the aircon on for her but she's a brachy breed and the heat can be deadly for her

[koalathebear]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Hoover seems to be ok in the heat but Elbie (who is larger) does pant a lot more.

sandra777:

some say ice can cause bloat, this wouldn't be a major issue with him would it?)

He's a Kelpie/border collie cross so shouldn't be prone to bloat but we were a bit worried because he also threw up some froth in the morning but then was fine as the weather cooled down... We're careful not to let him run around after eating and also not drink water too fast after eating etc but it's hard to know. But the tips about keeping him cool generally are helpful because he seems to overheat. Does the fact that his fur is black make a difference?

[Nekhbet]

the weather is changing quickly and most dogs still have some of their winter coat so they get hot. My lot still pant like crazy on some days

if he's hot he'll move himself to somewhere cool. Remember dogs can't sweat so they have to pant to lose body heat through evaporation

[persephone]

Hamlet is sitting here puffing like a steam train, flaked out on the floor--- and it's 10 degrees!

provided the dogs are fit & healthy,have somewhere cool to lie.. wet towels/coolbeds inside, and a sandy patch kept damp outside- with a pool in the shade, plenty of water and good airflow, they will be fine!

In teh first Summer, pups often take a while to get used to it..

Our working dogs are outside 24/7..and have never seen an airconditioner ;)They have damp sand, and about 10 litres of water,and a shady tree

One thing- don't force your dogs to stay indoors/outdoors. Let them find the coolest spot! Also- let them rest - hang up the 'do not disturb' sign !!

Dogs will seek out spots where there is a draft,or a solid cooler floor,or somewhere else outside.

[poodlefan]

I would not leave a cool coat on a dog unsupervised. I'd certainly never put one straight on a dog that had been exercising.

You could try a cool mat KTB but some dogs don't like them. A wet towel (wrung out) on cool tiles is often good. A wet towel on the dog for 10 minutes is good too but again, not straight after exercise.

Panting isn't necessarily a sign of distress - just a dog's natural cooling system. I do use a water mist from a spray bottle to cool them at times - focus on the areas of bare skin like the tummy.

Edited November 14, 2010 by poodlefan

[persephone]

Panting isn't necessarily a sign of distress - just a dog's natural cooling system.

x2

[koalathebear]

Thanks all.

He has a dog door so can come in and out as he pleases so when the weather warms up again (today is still rainy and cool), I'm going to put ice cubes in their water bowl.

He was pretty much a winter puppy so this is his first experience with the heat (and Canberra actually does get very hot!) so I guess he'll take some time to get used to the heat.

[Niques]

I freeze milk, juice, small coke bottles, etc. and he chews on those. Or just lies next to it. Does need some supervision for when he works out how to pull the lid off, although I don't worry too much about James anymore as he immediately chews it off and discards it so he can suck on the bottle

Freezing treats in an yoghurt/icecream containers, as LS said, also works well.

[poodlefan]

Thanks all.

He has a dog door so can come in and out as he pleases so when the weather warms up again (today is still rainy and cool), I'm going to put ice cubes in their water bowl.

He was pretty much a winter puppy so this is his first experience with the heat (and Canberra actually does get very hot!) so I guess he'll take some time to get used to the heat.

If you half fill a water bowl, freeze it overnight and then top it up, it will stay cooler longer. I do that for dog shows.

[W Sibs]

Thanks all.

He has a dog door so can come in and out as he pleases so when the weather warms up again (today is still rainy and cool), I'm going to put ice cubes in their water bowl.

He was pretty much a winter puppy so this is his first experience with the heat (and Canberra actually does get very hot!) so I guess he'll take some time to get used to the heat.

If you half fill a water bowl, freeze it overnight and then top it up, it will stay cooler longer. I do that for dog shows.

This is what I do too

[~Anne~]

Because dogs don't sweat, putting fans on them achieves nothing unless the dog is wet... again, it is all to do with evaporation.

Edited November 15, 2010 by ~Anne~

[wuffles]

If you half fill a water bowl, freeze it overnight and then top it up, it will stay cooler longer. I do that for dog shows.

Good tip, thanks!

I know that fans technically shouldn't work on dogs but our older boy plonks himself down right in front of it every time we turn it on, so he obviously likes it ;)

KTB mine were panting a lot over the weekend as well. I worry about a lot of stuff but heat not so much -- they always seem to find the coolest spots in the house/yard and never seem distressed.

[persephone]

putting fans on them achieves nothing

It does ,however circulate the air ... Hamlet has his fan on him all night in Summer .. otherwise he puffs & pants & wriggles . With his fan on- peace! No aircon .

[koalathebear]

Great tip, PF - although I am getting to the point where the freezer has more food for the dogs in it than food for the humans!!! (lamb flaps, bones, meatballs etc).

wuffles – given how squeamish I am, you can imagine that I am a bit grossed out by the idea of putting the water dish in our freezer no matter how well scrubbed or 'bagged up' it is.

I do worry too much about my doggies, I fear. I guess I wouldn't have worried so much about the heat if both doggies had been panting, but only Elbie was doing his dangley tongue thing.

ETA: And I do think the fan cools down the room generally so is for the better.

Edited November 15, 2010 by koalathebear

[poodlefan]

Great tip, PF - although I am getting to the point where the freezer has more food for the dogs in it than food for the humans!!! (lamb flaps, bones, meatballs etc).

wuffles – given how squeamish I am, you can imagine that I am a bit grossed out by the idea of putting the water dish in our freezer no matter how well scrubbed or 'bagged up' it is.

I do worry too much about my doggies, I fear. I guess I wouldn't have worried so much about the heat if both doggies had been panting, but only Elbie was doing his dangley tongue thing.

Time to buy another freezer! I have two!

[pebbles]

I've had dogs of various colours over the years and found that the black ones appear to feel the heat more so, more panting etc than other colours. My lot have coped with 40+ days, just find a good spot and sleep until it goes away - wish I could do the same lol.