How are your dogs coping in the heat?

[blueskypink]

My 11.5 year old black lab is really struggling. I'm so worried about her. She's panting really hard all the time and glaring at me at the moment because I haven't taken her out since 8am. She won't do anything in our garden but it's 34 degrees outside so I can't take her for a walk. I'm working on the principle that, if she's desperate she'll just have to do a wee or poo in the garden (door is open).

She will allow me to direct a fan at her. And I've been draping wet pillow cases over her (the looks!!!). But I wish there was something else I could do. Any ideas?!!!!

Is the a river nearby that is safe for her to splash in? Could you drive her there so no hot pavements?

I still take my Scottie out but soak him with water before we go and tip more on him at intervals as we go round. 90 minutes walk is now about 40 but very slowly and early in the day keeping to shade. Black fur seems to absorb the sun and without the water it feels scarily hot.

Things we are doing here for the springer...

• a good walk at 6/7am when it is still cool out (I try and meet up with his friend from the village so he can do lots of running about)
• a paddling pool with lots of toys in the garden and free reign for him to go in when he likes
• a cool mat on the floor
• plenty of cold water in the bowls (refilling them several times a day with a few ice cubes)
• plenty of frozen treats like Billy & Margots 'ice cream' tubs and frozen carrots
• a short walk mid afternoon, literally 5 mins to a nearby river in deep shade where he can have a splash about with a ball
• a fan on the floor overnight so he can sleep in front of it
• open windows at night when the air gets cooler

Cannot wait for it to get a bit cooler at the weekend!

@HollyGibney what about pavement heat?

I chuck mine into the car, fortunately the boot window opens, and trundle to the shady river nearby. She also goes with DH to work most days. He's in the Navy, and she spends most of her day sprinting between the office and the sea shore. Of an evening she flops on the wood floor or in the shade in the garden. She doesn't get let out for a run until about 8.30-9pm when the shade appears out the front of the house and the temperature drops.

It's a tough life being SilverHairedDog!

Mine is sprawled out under the garden table in the shade with a bowl of water (refilled all day) just panting. Thankfully she’ll do her business in the garden (she won’t on walks, no idea why) so it’s not too desperate.

My 8 yo lab is hating it and v grumpy. She has one early morning walk in the woods across the road, but no second walk as it is too hot atm. She doesn’t like water so paddling pool is a total waste. She spends most of her time sprawled on the stone floor I have in the majority of the downstairs.

We go in the car silver, to a shady park. I tip a big bottle of water over him before we start, beside the car, then leave the empty in the car but bring another full one which gets tipped over him at intervals on the way round, refill at a fountain where he has a drink of fresh water etc. Towels all over the car to accommodate Wet Dog on the way back but he's usually dry-ish by then anyway. .

It's a military operation!

Squidward has only been allowed on our bed recently but he loves it so much that he is insulating himself further by being on it. I have bathed him to get rid of any loose hair and I have a fan on him. He only has a short coat luckily. He hates me draping him with anything wet or spraying him with water. The minute he starts to pant the fan goes on.

We do have rivers and streams 15 or so minutes' car drive away. We went to one early this morning. But getting her into the car is a real struggle. She won't use any sort of step and it's quite a struggle for me to give her a leg up.

We left a big fan on her last night (she has never entertained them previously - would just move away, but she accepts it now).

Won't do paddling pools though. And if I try and put a gentle spray from the hosepipe on her when she's in the garden she hates it.

Missbattenburg - what do you mean by a cool mat? Sounds interesting.

I was about to start putting ice cubes in her water bowl but a dog walker told me last night that Ice isn't good for dogs. No idea if that's true.

They are panting in stereo.

No one has slept properly in this house for a week or so. I want to cry.

Cooling mats arriving on Saturday.

One of mine gets a runny tummy from the ice.

The other one is scared or them and won’t go near the water bowl if there’s any in there.

They are mats that absorb body heat but don't readily give it back. Something like this:

amazon.co.uk/Mega_Jumble-Cooling-Mattress-Relief-Non-Toxic/dp/B072FT7XRQ/ref=sr_1_5?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1532633976&sr=1-5&keywords=dog+cool+mat]]

Oh wow - I'll have to order one. Thank you!

Yep - they are not miracle workers but it's a case of every little thing that helps is worth it

I suspect mine will be scared of the mats, but then I can use the mats myself.

Problem is that some dogs have fur that insulates them from the heat, so getting them soaking is making them hotter!
Wet only works on bare skin.

Ddog1 loves the sun and can usually be found on his dog bed on the deck, ddog2 hates it and is spending the day either lying on the the hard floor or in front of a fan in a dark bedroom. They have a paddling pool but don't like it and ddog2 hates wet towels etc. We haven't been walking them much as ddog2 gets really hot for ages even going in the woods early/late

It's nearly 9pm and the bbc website is telling me it's 30 degrees outside, and feels like 34 . Poor dogs.

Mine ignored the mat. So I use it in bed!

The ice thing seems to be to do with either potential teeth damage if they have weak or baby teeth, or if they are overheated and you are trying to cool them too quickly. Or so our vet posted on Facebook the other day.

If you're just offering them a nice cool drink with ice cubes through the day, rather than trying to use ice to cool them down when they have over heated, that's fine. Same as with humans, really.

That’s what I’m afraid of, Cat.

Idiot dogs will ignore it when it’s on the floor but will come and and snuggle in bed if I decide to use it.

My old cat had heart failure in the heat last June and had to be pts .. he just couldn't cope . 😩

I have a very poorly Pomeranian, he isn’t coping well at all. He has been diagnosed with possible laryngeal paralysis this morning, but the vet feels that the heat is the main problem. We have him on a damp towel on a cool mat with a Dyson fan running and he is still panting desperately.

Surgery is not an option for him as he has multiple other health issues, he has been doing well with treatment but I am afraid that he may now be near the end simply due to the heat. I have been out to try and buy an air conditioner this evening, they are completely sold out everywhere and the forecast is even hotter tomorrow. I am praying he makes it through the night, he is only 2 and I rehomed him from someone who bought him from a Polish puppy farm 😔

Evenstar buckets of ice in front of the fan cool the air that's pushed out. It can be used, in a pinch, to cool the room down.

We are finding he won’t sit near the fan for long, but thank you for your message x

Just to say about giving dogs ice, our local vet sent this out recently.