Hot weather walking

[ScottishBlanket]

I’m sure this has been asked a lot of times before but just wanted to check if people think this is ok or not.
My dog refuses to poo in the garden, so I took him for a short (about 10 minutes) walk round the block at about 10.30 am today. I think it was about 22 degrees, I checked I could stand on the pavement barefoot for at least a minute in the sun (and on a metal man hole cover) and it didn’t feel too hot. I sprayed my dog with water before we left and we plodded slowly on short lead, sticking to the shade. I made sure he walked on the grass verges as much as possible and not on any metal man hole covers.
A woman stopped me and said it was too hot and he would burn his feet and get heat stroke. He wasn’t even panting until just before we got home and even then only slightly. He’s an 8 year old Labrador very healthy and not overweight at all.
I know you shouldn’t go for long walks/let them run around In the sun when it’s above about 20 degrees but are short pavement walks ok? I don’t see how it’s possible for them to burn their paws if you can stand barefoot comfortably on the ground like I could today. I know it’s going to be about 27 degrees on Wednesday so I will get up extra early and avoid going out at all then, but should I also avoid going on 10-15 minute round the block walks in general if it’s around 22 degrees plus? I’m worried he’ll be uncomfortable if his only opportunity to poo is very early morning and very late at night as he normally goes a couple of times at 10-11 and 4-6 pm.

Was it your dog? Did you know if they had medical issues, maybe a heart murmur or something else? Surely it is as at 9am, it was the heat, or it not alone that sadly affected the dog?

No, a friends dog. Perfectly healthy and died of heatstroke as diagnosed by the vet. It was already mid-twenties at 9am and the dog had been running around the park as it did every single morning.

It doesn't have to be midday or thirty degrees for heatstroke to be a problem. It's something I've studied on canine first aid courses for work, so it's not like I've just read random articles online and decided it's a danger.

I think it completely depends on the dog.
Dogs1+2 would be perfectly happy at 20-23 degrees.
Dog 3 can’t cope with anything above 20. Really struggles. He is giant and hairy though.

You can’t really compare dogs like mine who are used to freezing for 11 months of the year and dogs who are acclimatised to hot countries.

If I’m in any doubt I just don’t bother taking them. Better safe than sorry.

Perfectly healthy and died of heatstroke as diagnosed by the vet. It was already mid-twenties at 9am and the dog had been running around the park as it did every single morning
For a start, you can't say that the dog didn't have health issues unless an autopsy was undertaken. Maybe the walk was too long, with no shade, was given no water and allowed to run at full speed for too long.

It's very sad, but you certainly cannot draw conclusion and make generalisation on all dogs from a rare occurrence in this country. Raising awareness to the extreme conditions is one thing, becoming a hot weather warrior and judging strangers without knowing anything at all about them or their dog is totally uncalled for.

If we put this into perspective, a studied carried out in 2016, showed an incidence of heat stoke in dogs of 0.04%. Of this very minimal ratio, 14% died, more than half assisted rather than naturally.

Yes it happens, but so minimally that it really doesn't justify at all the lynching that those who walk their dog in temperature above 20 degrees without any knowledge of the situation.

If you are one of them, please stop. It can cause quite some distress to very loving and caring dog owners.

@vivainsomnia

Perfectly healthy and died of heatstroke as diagnosed by the vet. It was already mid-twenties at 9am and the dog had been running around the park as it did every single morning For a start, you can't say that the dog didn't have health issues unless an autopsy was undertaken. Maybe the walk was too long, with no shade, was given no water and allowed to run at full speed for too long.

It's very sad, but you certainly cannot draw conclusion and make generalisation on all dogs from a rare occurrence in this country. Raising awareness to the extreme conditions is one thing, becoming a hot weather warrior and judging strangers without knowing anything at all about them or their dog is totally uncalled for.

For a start, you can't say that the dog didn't have health issues unless an autopsy was undertaken. Maybe the walk was too long, with no shade, was given no water and allowed to run at full speed for too long.

Of course I don't know for certain, but I'm just going on the statemnet the vet released and what the owner said.

You're right that the dog over-did it, but the vast majority of people wouldn't see a problem with taking a young dog for their usual run at 9am in the morning in this country. Numerous replies on here have shown that they don't think 21/22 degrees is danger territory.

However, I haven't judged anyone or become a "hot weather warrior" (whatever that's supposed to be). OP posted asking for advice and people (including me) gave advice, which has generally been "be careful in the heat".

I'm really not sure what's so controversial about saying things like that. You seem to be taking your anger out on the wrong people tbh as nobody on here has been rude or judgemental towards OP.

there's been reference to 'idiots' walking dogs when it's hot, so that's pretty accusatory when not knowing the circumstances.

I don't know you so I don't know if you'd challenge or judge someone in real life. There's no problem giving advice, in general. For instance, the advice that dogs don't regulate their body temperature is valuable for many.

My issue is with calling someone an idiot because they take their dog out when it's 23 or 24 degrees, not knowing anything about that owner or that dog, knowing the length or their walk, whether the dog has been running or not at all, whether the dog is used to hot weather or not etc...

You're right there has been name calling - but not from me. I haven't called anyone on this thread an idiot.

It depends on the individual dog I’d say. A fit and healthy dog that copes with heat reasonably well would be fine on a quick lead walk.

Having said that I’ve been walking my 18 month old short coated dog early in the morning and around 7pm on the hottest days. He won’t poo in the garden either but is fine going out 7-8am in the morning and then again once it cools down later. Generally he doesn’t need to go again until a couple of hours after his dinner.

He’s very active and needs off lead exercise though or he’s a nightmare at home. I take him out early as it’s more comfortable for him to be charging around like a lunatic.

I think there is a little bit of hysteria around dog's and summer now, obviously it's not a good idea to take them out if it's baking hot and yes pavements get hot so avoid them walking on them if possible.

However dogs survive in much hotter climates than the UK 🤷‍♀️ I think some dogs are more vulnerable to heatstroke but lots of dogs can cope with a normal English summers day just fine.

I am really careful with my dog and he does struggle with the heat (lab). You can tell he wants the shade and we head to the river/woods.

I am confused about what happens in all these countries where it’s hotter though? The dogs are all just more acclimatised?

The dogs are all just more acclimatised?
That's the point. Dogs should be acclimatised whatever the country. If your dog only goes out when the temperature is below 15 degrees, it will be harsh on them to suddenly go out when it's 25.

However, if they are taken out at different times with a gradually increasing temperature, and they are ok, going from 22 degrees to 23 is not going to be a big shock to them.

I do get very upset though about people who still in these days and age leave their dog in the car on hot days.

22 degrees isn’t hot enough to turn the pavement into lava. Pavements can get very hot but they have to be incredibly hot to actually hurt a dog’s feet - paws are nothing like human feet otherwise they would need shoes... Obviously don’t take your dog out for a huge walk at midday on the first hot day in weeks, but like humans they do acclimatise, hence they shed their fur. My dog has a black coat so gets very hot, and he also loves sprinting off lead so we stick to early and late walks on hot days. Some dogs have short light fur and leisurely saunter and sniff on their walks so would probably be fine. Common sense goes a long way. The hot dog police on Facebook don’t have much of it.

I used to live in a climate where the temperature regularly hit the 30s. Barefoot people used to walk on the tarmac, never mind the dogs. They were used it. It hurt my feet to try, because I usually wore shoes.

Acclimatising to increased heat is the key.

Thanks @vivainsomnia

My lab doesn’t seem happy with anything above 23 degrees. So will build him up very slowly. I’d like him to get acclimatised as 23 really isn’t that hot and it’s so restrictive only walking him early or late.

Oh god the Facebook police round here are nuts! Dpup refuses to poo in the garden, like you I walk round bare foot lots and it’s actually fine in most surfaces at 22 degrees for a short walk but I’d still avoid even though pup will be fine as I don’t want a twat lecturing me because they don’t understand dogs are all different and owners can make judgements.

I'm in Essex. Today was at best 22degrees midday . My daughter met me from work at 5.15 pm today .Today is the first day it hadn't rained in about a week . literally i live less than 10 minutes walk from my home to work and I popped in the corner shop on my way home, she walked the dog at my workplace, met me and we walked back , probably 20 minutes all in 10 minutes each way ..someone, literally a stranger said to my daughter In her words" he pointed at the dog and said "DON'T DIE* ... She was a little frightened .. I put the back of my hand on the floor and it was barely warm . I then gave her a lesson on dogs living in much warmer climates and you don't see dead dogs everywhere and how if the back of your hand is too hot, their paws are too
Absolutely nuts how people react to dog walking if theres temperatures over 23 degrees ..
He gets haircuts ( long haired normally) in the summer it's probably a fur coat less

It's a sad world when perfectly good and caring dog owners are dreading taking their dogs on walks when it's reasonable to do so because they are worried about ignorant yet self absorbed warriors.

It seems that common sense is no longer valid where some people are concerned. Having had hairy dogs who would lay in the sun, panting and puffing through their own choice and refuse to stay in the shade or indoors then obviously it is up to the individual owner to decide what’s appropriate in hot weather. Yes, there will always be idiots and unfortunate incidents that couldn’t be predicted but on the whole it’s rare.