Heat and my dog

[CajunMama]

My poor dog, Charlie. He's a cairn terrier (think toto but much cuter). He loves going outside and chasing imaginary rabbits and birds. He's having trouble with the heat. He was outside for maybe 10 minutes and came in panting heavily. It's taken him at least 15 minutes to cool down...and that includes panting, immersing his face and paws in the water bowl, dripping water all over the floor and rolling in it. I hope those who have outdoor pets are doing their best to keep their pets comfortable and hydrated.

It's 90°F right now with a heat index of 101. NWS says the rh is at 62% (down from 82% last night).

[azsnowman]

It's terrible on the poor pups isn't it? Our 2 big labs and one flat coat retriever have been house bound for the past 4 days, with our DP's in the 70° range and humidity right now of 89%...needless to say, they too are suffering.

VERY Good Point cajun........PLEASE remember your pets during these "Dog Days of Summer!"........you made the choice of adopting them, they didn't pick you, PLEASE take care of 'em

[kwftide]

It's terrible on the poor pups isn't it? Our 2 big labs and one flat coat retriever have been house bound for the past 4 days, with our DP's in the 70° range and humidity right now of 89%...needless to say, they too are suffering.

VERY Good Point cajun........PLEASE remember your pets during these "Dog Days of Summer!"........you made the choice of adopting them, they didn't pick you, PLEASE take care of 'em

We had out Golden Retriever shaved so he looks more like a yellow lab. He's doing quite well now.

[Aslkahuna]

My dog has his own routine for dealing with the heat-he stays in the house most of the day lying down in the airstream from the portable A/C and goes outside only when required by Nature. Then once the Sun goes down and it begins to cool off he goes outside and stays until it's time to come in when I go to sleep. Right now, we've been fairly cool during the day so he's outside now. He loves a good ride so in the Summer I do my shopping in the evening so that he can come with me since the van is cooler then.

Steve

[Stephanie]

This is a good reminder for anyone with pets.

[bvigal]

What a great thought to post this! I shave my border collie, mostly to find the ticks when they are bad here. (Frontline, etc. just doesn't work on Caribbean ticks!). But it helps keep her cool, too. When it's really hot & humid with no breeze (rarely), I just wet her down with the hose - that keeps her cool for a couple of hours!

[HurricaneBill]

Probably a good time to remind people to not leave your dog in a car during this hot weather. Even if the windows are rolled down, the temperature in the car can get very high in a short period of time. Dogs can't sweat. Panting is their only way to cool down.

[AussieMark]

my dog lays down under the kitchen table (tiled)

and has air con also

[CajunMama]

I also have a poodle who loves to chase balls (basket, volley) around the backyard. Last fall he was chasing...obsessively...overheated himself. My poor baby couldn't stand, i had to put him in the bathtub with cool water to get his body temperature down. Scared me to death. He looks longingly at the volleyball on the kitchen counter but i just can't let him play with it in this heat. I do throw some small rubber balls in the backyard and with the heat he can only chase a few.