People are really mad about dogs and heat stroke?

Ooh, he’s not black, beautiful boy! 😍 The best dogs.

@LaLoba absolutely!! A full collie life is the best life. Here he is trying to herd the vultures 😁

I am genuinely interested to know where you got the statistics from of the number of dogs that die of heatstroke. I am pretty sure vets don't record the cause of death for all dogs and, even if they did, where would that info be recorded? Also how many dogs die because they have idiot owners who not only let them get heatstroke but then did not take them to a vet? Plenty of people bury pets in their garden and irresponsible owners would not want to pay a vet bill.

I have seen plenty of dogs definitely reluctant to be walked in heat. The owner has to pull them along. Very heavy panting is a sign the dog is struggling

I was going to say this. If it's too hot for human feet, then it's too hot for dog feet - quite aside from actual heatstroke. A shady walk on grass by the river/ lake is a far cry from a walk on concrete in 30+ heat. Dogs can't tell us how they feel, and invariably just want to be with their owner so aren't going to put up a fuss. So it's the owner's duty to protect them accordingly.

@Stripeysuitcase

I’ve got a very similar collie to you, all black except for a few solitary white hairs. We follow the same common sense ‘rules’, monitoring her and ensuring we have water etc. She can easily run off road with us in 20 degrees because like your dog she’s young, fit and strong.

Too many people seem unable to recognise that different dogs have different capacities and I’m not up for getting harangued by people who can’t tell the difference. There’s a reason I chose a working bred, active breed over the deliberately malformed, invalid dogs that seem to be popular now. Because if going outside at 20 degrees when not elderly or unwell poses a risk then that’s a generally grim existence for the poor dog and it appalls me that humans have deliberately created this misery.

Once got shouted at by a neighbour when running with my previous collie - it was 16 degrees and we were headed to the forest! She said I was being cruel ‘dragging him along in this heat’. I just laughed at the idea of dragging a collie anywhere, then quietly said ‘race pace’ to him and tried to keep up as he pulled me along. 😂

I'm sorry, this is moronic.

You don't need to know the full story to know that it is unwise to take a dog out in hot weather. It's either good for the dog or it is not. And general consensus is that it is not.

Many dogs die needlessly because of irresponsible owners who don't have two brain cells to rub together. Honestly-if you're the type of moron to not know not to take a dog out in hot weather or leave it in a car-you shouldn't be in charge of any living creature. Ever.

It's just not worth the risk. Dogs don't die from missing out on a walk every now and then. They do die from heat stroke. Or they can also have seizures from it, too, and suffer greatly. You can't compare dogs that were born and raised in hot climates to dogs that are not used to it over here. They're not the same, and dogs can suffer from heatstroke over in places like Italy, too.

I have a very elderly staffy and live in a flat - so if he needs to toilet he HAS to go out. I walk him really early (before 6am) and then its home to stay cool. He goes out again once it cools down at about 10pm.

In between, if its morning the pavement outside my flat is in the shade, and I can walk him 20 yards to a couple of trees where he has a wee. In the afternoon the pavement is in full sun, and I'd rather put puppy pads down and keep him inside (he thinks he loves the sun but his 15 year old body doesn't cope as well as he thinks it does!)

Right now hes asleep on the sofa with the fan on him and a cold tea towel laid over him - spoilt boy!

Perfectly healthy youngish dog (I can't remember exactly how old she was, it was a while ago)

It completely depends on the dog breed, what it's used to, their fitness level, the activity level on the walk, where you take them in terms of shade and water both for drinking and bathing, etc. it's just about using common sense but also monitoring them carefully, e.g. if they go into a full pant instead of a half pant then the level of exertion is too much.

We have an extremely active and fit short haired collie, and we've been in Spain for the past month in a van. He's been on 30 mile walks in the mountains for 9 hours and it's been consistently over 30 degrees. He's sometimes been tired and hot, but essentially not TOO hot. Just like we were sometimes tired and hot because we are active people. We were very careful to chose high elevations with lakes, woodlands and flowing rivers, and took routes with additional shade. We also took water and had regular breaks. We monitored him very carefully and paced his activity level.

I use the golden rule that if he starts a full pant then we stop and rest and cool down.

He's been on two walks a day since we got back, at relatively normal times, in normal places. But again I have balanced his activity levels and pace with the heat, and choose the right locations like woodland with water, he is no hotter than if he is fully active in colder weather.

If I had a different breed that was less able to regulate its temperature or I was only able to do street walk with my boy then I would behave differently. I would not take a pug or an elderly dog out in this weather.

Everyone foaming at the mouth about all dogs at anything over 20 degrees isn't considering that dogs absolutely can 'live' in hot weather as long as their owners are sensible and careful.

In other countries, dogs may be used to it, but there is also the thing that maybe they are not educated as much as to what can happen to a poor dog.
i would also like to add taking dogs out and letting them into cold water can be fatal. I know of several dogs that were out then into the river. when they came out the died from shock so please do not think that a dip would be good

I'd never shout at someone in fairness, it is a form of virtue signalling IMO, but I would talk to someone if I thought their dog was suffering to see if they are aware of the dangers, so many people have dogs and have no idea how to put the dogs needs before their own selfish wants.

I personally see all sorts of people selfishly dragging their dogs around the streets in heat where the dogs themselves look like they are suffering in one way or another, it is not enjoyable for the dogs, so why do it at all? Two weeks ago at an event in the middle of the day, full sun, hot day, there were hundreds of dogs there, loads looked unhappy.. it's shocking how stupid and ignorant some people are.

If someone was ambling along in the shade with a water bottle in hand I wouldn't bat an eyelid as that person is obviously aware of their dogs welfare needs.. it's the people that obviously don't know or know but don't care that boils my piss.

There are two parts to this argument I think:

1. is it ok to exercise/walk your dog in conditions which are totally unsuitable to your specific dog… no. Of course not
2. is it ok for people to shout at complete strangers if they see a dog out and about that seems fine, and they have no idea of the context? Also no

Don’t get me wrong, having a polite word with someone if their dog is clearly struggling in the heat is of course ok. And I say polite because it’s unlikely to be taken well by them if you’re shouting expletives at them and they’re even more likely to double down and prove you wrong. Which isn’t helpful to the dog. And for the love of god, please stop photographing random people and putting them on Facebook so you can have a bitch to feel better about yourself.

Since dogs can and do suffer and die from the heat in the UK every year, isn’t it better for dog owners to be over-cautious about walking their dogs in heatwaves, @Brayndrayn? No dog has died, become ill, or got badly burned paws from missing a walk, but dogs have suffered all of these through being walked when it was too hot for them.

Why does it matter, the end result was the same, a dog over exerting itself at 20 degrees, can be the same dog being walked (I say 'being walked' rather than 'walking' because it is their owners that force it out in that weather, not the dog choosing) in 30 degree heat, the dog can still suffer the heat, and can still die of heatstroke, so what difference does it make? Denying it as a possibility is just uneducated and ignorant.. and quite telling about the mindset of people who force their dogs out on walks in the middle of the day when there's no need.

If a dog has gone past the point of being able to cool itself down, which is actually quite easy to do in warm weather, it will suffer, they suffer in the heat anyway without factoring heat stroke into it, so the question is why would you make your dog suffer for your own wants?

Dogs should be lying in the shade with access to water, not being force walked around on the pavements at midday in blazing sunshine, and with regards to walking on a lead in the shade with sips of water.. do you really think this post is about people like that? No, it's not but you know that already.

My dog chose to spend most of yesterday afternoon lying out in the sun in her thick black coat.

I sometimes think the British public care about about the welfare of dogs than that of children

Oh and 3/4 of heatstroke are due to excessive exercise, not the actual heat. Statistics, from a vet surgery!

Can you quote a source for your 'statistics'?

You conveniently left off your quoted post that the person is an ex-vet nurse so yes I'm sure they aren't lying when they say they saw many dogs die from this
You can't beat statistics though. Again, there might be co-factors.

So no sorry I don't believe the MANY (many, like what?100s?).

I've just got back from Spain where we noticed that people only walked their dogs in the evening so anytime after 7pm there was a huge amount of dogs out being walked, we did not notice any dogs outside during the day ..great to see

I saw that - please remember that not all sewrvice dogs are guide dogs, and what he said was he exercised his dog early, then had someone else guide him during the otter part of the day. And that is great if (a) you have someone to do that and (b) you don't need your dog all the time.

There are plenty of ways of helping your dog manage the heat if they must go out. As I said earlier, if they are travelling by car the (common nowadays) air-conditioning is better than most homes. There are cooling vets for dogs, and pavement protector boots to stop their paws from burning. Some need suntan cream, which is also easily available. We also always carry iced water.

That said, for a smart dog mine can be really stupid - I had to call him in twice yesterday afternoon as he decided to sunbathe!

You conveniently left off your quoted post that the person is an ex-vet nurse so yes I'm sure they aren't lying when they say they saw many dogs die from this.

I worked with dogs for 8 years (not as a vet) and personally know half a dozen dogs who've died, and God knows how many who got very very ill

It's so bizarre to see the lengths people are going to on this thread to insist that people's concern for dog welfare in heatwaves is nothing more than a conspiracy? Honestly guys, touch grass.

a neighbours beautiful springer who got heatstroke when it was about 20 degrees but they had let her run around too much
So the issue was not the heat itself but the over exertion, maybe with no drink. It was the combination that was the problem (and maybe even more issues), not the heat itself. A healthy dog just walking on the lead in the shade with regular sips of water is highly unlikely to get heatstroke under 20 degrees!