To ask for urgent advice re puppy

[asthmashmasthma]

Our gorgeous puppy is 8 months old. It's the first time we've encountered this problem so looking for urgent advice. He is too hot and is panting exessively. We haven't taken him out much today but we live in a new build small house that gets wayyy to hot in this weather. It constantly reaches 30 degrees plus inside. I also can't open windows due to DS being in hospital with an asthma attack this weekend due to pollen so things are really blooming difficult in this heat. This might sound stupid but I know when the Dc have had temperatures we've always been told not to put a cold wet flannel on them to cool them down. Is this the same with dogs or can I put a wet towel down in his bed for him? Sorry if this sounds really stupid we've just never had this problem before!

As you have mentioned up thread an air con unit if you can is absolutely the best way forward

We got one years ago as our elderly gsd was struggaling in the heat
Hes no longer with us but our current dog loves it

I'm asthmatic and suffer with terrible heyfever and the filter helps remove some of the pollen as well so that's a great bonus

Hope hes doing better as it cools down

Sorry that was meant to say cool mat

There has over the last few years been some really dangerous misinformation flying around social media, to the effect that putting cool water/cold water/standing the dog in cold water/giving them ice is dangerous.

It isn't. If they need to cool down fast, they need to cool down fast. Standing a dog in cold water and putting wet towels on them particularly on their belly/between thighs is a good way of doing that.

For heavy coated dogs make sure the water goes all the way through to the skin, it is doing no good at all if its sat over an insulating layer of fur/trapped air.

Its also safe for dogs to have ice in their water, frozen food dispensing toys, to be sprayed with the hose and play in paddling pools.

The thing to watch out for is water intoxication, which can happen if dogs excessively drink water or consume ice - those dogs you see snapping at the hose and consuming huge quantities of water for example... or dogs given big frozen blocks who crunch through and eat it really quickly rather than licking it.

Water intoxication is NOT a consideration if you think your dog has heat stroke and is already unwell. Get them wet, get them cooling, get them to a vet. Soaked through and in the car in the AC or in front of the blowers and straight to a vet, don't muck about.

Our breeder recommended a wet towel on the floor for the dog to lie on as a way to cool them down quickly. Obviously you need a hard floor not carpet. Hope he feels more comfortable soon

I don't know anything about dogs but in extreme heat I used to freeze a bottle of water for my rabbit to lie next to. Would that help?

You can also get cooling coats for dogs.

Cool mat and a fan with a frozen 2 litre bottle of water in front really helps to keep mine cool.

Fans are your friend here. I have them in my bedroom, kitchen and sitting room for my dog

Slightly off topic, but that's not how insulation works. If you do have lots of insulation, then it will also help keep the house cool, provided you prevent the heat getting in in the first place. Things like keeping curtains closed on windows where the sun is shining in (or even better, get blinds that reflect the heat back) and keeping windows closed during the day. Window awnings are also effective

Dogs don’t have the ability to sweat so panting is one of their only ways to cool down. Wet them down frequently and until they stop panting and make sure you give them plenty of fresh water. Put ice cubes in the water to help cool them. They can get heat stroke and get dehydrated very quickly. As others have said if they’re vomiting it’s a medical emergency.

Fans don't actually cool the air - if the air is hot all they'll do is push hot air around.

@asthmashmasthma have you considered a proper hepa air purifier for your house? You could open a window in one room and run it in there which would let some fresh air in and hopefully give you some air circulation.

Also frozen yoghurt with blueberries for a treat - make ice cubes of them to lick they help our dog who is a pug

https://www.rvc.ac.uk/research/research-centres-and-facilities/veterinary-epidemiology-economics-and-public-health/news/new-research-from-the-rvc-suggests-human-heat-health-alerts-could-help-prevent-heatstroke-in-dogs?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3UwuUbYaJvsq4h3Eirsp_-ZYl_ED-7argcMHntnygIZ1AMHXaudbM5vzI_aem_PpZLGHY-WCn1HHAiyrf3qA#:~:text=Additionally%2C%20the%20RVC%20advises%20%E2%80%9Ccool,not%20force%20them%20to%20drink

Just to highlight the specific advice for suspected heat stroke:

Additionally, the RVC advises “cool first, transport second” as the immediate first aid response for dogs which do develop heatstroke. Owners worried their dog has overheated should:

• Take their dog somewhere cool, ideally a well-ventilated area (or use a fan)
• Offer them small sips of water (do not force them to drink)
• Pour water of any temperature that is cooler than the dog over them (avoiding the head) and combine with air movement from a breeze, fan, or air conditioning.
• Once these steps have been started, call the vets who will be able to advise further. Even if the pet seems to be okay, it’s important to have them checked (unless told otherwise), as the more serious signs of heatstroke may not be immediately apparent.

It really is vital that dogs are cooled asap, though it should be noted if your car has AC this may the coolest place available for most people in the UK - so soak the dog whilst someone gets the AC going in the car, then get in the car and to the vets asap.

And yes, fans on their own are not a lot of use, but fans + wet dog directly in front of the fan is a good combo.

Just wanted to update. Pup is fine this morning, I lay a nice cool, wet towel in his crate which he slept on. He's not panting and has had lots of water. His bed is actually in the coolest room in our house so hopefully that will help. I should have clarified that he isn't flat faced at all, the only bit of pug in him (that we can see) is the tail. We will only be walking him very early in the morning or late at night for the next few days whilst the weather is going to be much hotter and his cool mat is arriving today so I'm sure things will be easier then.
On a side note DS still managed to have a bad night even with the windows closed so it looks like we will be back to a&e today but thank you for the suggestions of the air purifier things, I will definitely look in to that.

If you get one, make sure it's a proper certified hepa filter - some claim to be but don't actually do much!