Walking my dog in the heat

Dubl07

She's flaked out in front of the fan right now. It's 25° inside here and higher upstairs. I'm thinking no? She was panting a lot at 20° this morning. Nest says it's 23 outside but my upstairs thermometer is reading 30 outside (in a sunny spot).

Alun

These are great, SARDA use them for their search and rescue dogs ...

https://ruffwear.co.uk/products/swamp-cooler

Dubl07

Alun wrote: »

These are great, SARDA use them for their search and rescue dogs ...

https://ruffwear.co.uk/products/swamp-cooler

Thank you.

Took her out for a short and slow one with a sodden flannel inside the harness back and front. All is well. And I refuse to take photos. One of the flannels was pink and the other was brown. She looked ridiculously happy.

em_cat

Our Yorkie x was walked at 7:30 this morning and basically slept under the sofa all day, it’s about 30c in ours & our Pom x refused unless it was on grass.

She’s been flaked out on the raised bed on the balcony & we’ve cool mats on rotation in the fridge.

I think the issue is the tarmac & footpaths can burn their paws & it can be pretty painful.

muddypaws

Alun wrote: »

These are great, SARDA use them for their search and rescue dogs ...

https://ruffwear.co.uk/products/swamp-cooler

There has been recent research that suggests that cooling coats actually warm dogs up

alie

If you cannot put your hand on the ground for more than 5 seconds its too hot for their pads. We just walk ours early and late, panting is just them regulating their body temperature. We give ours a frozen kong to cool down after walks and sponge him with a wet flannel if hes been running in the garden like a looney.

tk123

We walk early anyways but for the evening I hold off until it's cooler for a stroll. Yesterday the 3 of us fell asleep before 8:00pm and there was no evening stroll - oops! I do have cooling vests for them too - I'd often put them on them in the garden when it's cool in the shade to sit and get some fresh air but too warm to go for a walk yet ... The dogs love them but I kind of hate them though as everyone with a dog stops us on walks to ask about them and feel them lol. I have hurtta ones and as long as you top them up ie pour more water on they keep them very cool - you can slide your hand in underneath the vest and feel how cool their skin is.

Dubl07

Yes, we stick to grass mostly. La Roche-Posay water is sprayed on her paws when she allows it and we're currently in a room with a wet towel-draped stool, a fan and a blind-covered open window. The dog is on the windowsill, full sunshine, behind the blind with a wet flannel on her back. She loves the heat but cools off every so often. Thanks for the input. I need some help when I walk her so have two options - then or not at all.

Sheepdish1

Dogs with shorter muzzles have a lot of difficulty cooling themselves in heat, I saw a Frenchie being walked during the last heat wave and it looked like it was about to collapse. I don’t think the owner realised how hard they find to keep cool.

It is best to stick to very early morning or late evening when sun is not strong and cool. Mental stimulation, such as freezing a kong or puzzle feeders are better for your dog than walking on a hot day, it tires them out too. Another good tip is leaving wet towel somewhere for your dog to lie on. Personally I haven’t used cooling jackets but would assume it’s too hot to walk and just wouldn’t use them. My relatives dog was walked on a hot day, dog would have being playing fetch or running and pulls on the lead during walks as it’s not trained not to, she ended up having a seizure. They are very lucky that she didn’t pass away.

tk123

I actually passed somebody walking a dog in the business park at lunchtime - it was 25 degrees out at the time and my clothes were stuck to me just walking over to the car :eek: And no doubt I'll see more on the way home!

Dubl07

Doggo is doing doggo behind me with a damp towel at the moment. My t-shirt is damp, for which I'm glad. Thanks for all the responses. It's baking out there - be careful!

Bells21

Turned on the fan in the sun room earlier, came back out to find one of the dogs was doing a 'fat man sit' on the other edge of the mat in the path of the breeze, looking quite pleased with himself.
The other, who refused to use the cooling mat last year, had been stuck to it today.
We skipped a walk today but they had their treat dispensing toys out in the garden this morning and their grandpawrents visited so they were kept occupied.