Reading today about expected very high temperatures in the UK this week , I wondered what precautions other owners take to keep their dogs cool and safe . I tend to walk my dogs very early morning, encourage a swim to keep their core temp lower , then no afternoon walk if its really hot . Its astounding how many people still take dogs out for hard exercise in extreme heat , heat exhaustion is a killer .
Holly's not too fond of hot weather but likes to follow the sun around the house. I'll never really understand Labs! We're taking her for earlier walks and extending her evening walk. Our biggest worry is that we have a long car journey at the end of the week. We'll have aircon on cool, and I'm trying to find some blinds for the side windows so Holly can have some shade. I guess regular water stops will also be needed.
Texas summers are long and hot, but it's hard to limit walks to early morning or late at night. So for Myles, I literally hose him down head to toe before we go on an afternoon walk (he usually will take a giant drink out of the hose as well). Even then I keep the walk to only about 15 minutes or so and try to keep him in the shady side of the street (for ME too!). And we stay close to home as well. But really looking forward to Fall!
We walk ours very early, and they are left with the back door open and access to one of those children's paddling pools. Also Just about to order one of those cool mats as I have heard positive feedback from them as long as they are the original brand (thank you Naya ) Also have just seen this, not sure if they sell in the UK, but found the video amusing, don't know why the first lab that came to mind was Holly! http://woofwasher360.com
We're lucky here that, even on the hottest days, there's generally a cool breeze which helps us all keep from overheating. As you've seen from the pictures, there are also loads of lakes, streams and springs on all of our walks, so plenty of water for the dogs to drink and cool off in. Obviously, ensuring we walk in areas with plenty of shade when it's hot weather. Willow especially seems to love the sun and, when I leave the door open, sits in it for hours. I'd have thought she'd get too hot, being black, but apparently not! I'm going to buy a couple of those cool mats for the summer, if I can find anyone who delivers here. They look perfect for if we're taking longer drives in the car, and for night time.
I'd happily move to the west coast of Scotland. Nearly all of my holidays from the age of five have been at the same place on the west coast of Scotland and I've come home more suntanned than friends who'd been abroad. Of course there might be a bit of wind burn included. There's nothing quite like a Scottish loch for keeping a lab cool.
Jen I hate the weather here. I was born in the wrong country. Unfortunately I can't afford to move abroad. I would never holiday in Scotland in the summer. This year we've been fortunate to have 2 holidays abroad booked. That is what keeps me going. The rain ,the wind and the cold I find depressing. 12 months in a year and we don't get 1 whole month warm and dry. Never mind according to the forecast Wednesday is to be 25c temperature and rain. https://flic.kr/p/vmRBBn https://flic.kr/p/vmRBBn This was taken on Saturday. Cupar loves the summer , it makes for a wee bit warmer mud baths.
With my garden temperature approaching 27 degrees Celcius today and increasing this week, I just bought Monty a kids paddling pool this morning. He absolutely loves it although now heatstroke isn't the issue, but hypothermia! He won't come out!!!
From an extreme temperature survivor you all sound like you are getting some great preparation in for the heatwave that has been forecast for the UK.I walk Dexter at sunrise( 5am ) at the moment...it's 35 degrees by 6.30 am so it's a small window in which I have to get up and get out,I don't mind,it's the best time of the day any time of the year If you do think your dog has got too hot,cool them down very carefully and slowly.....sponge them down under their fore legs and around their back legs where the fur is thinner and you can reach their skin easier ( I keep a packet of sensitive skin baby wipes chilling in the fridge and take them out with me in the evening) don't let them gulp water,let them take it a little at a time ,although a dog in the danger zone might not be interested in drinking.Get them to a vet immediately,as Kate says,heat kills . Stay safe everyone and enjoy the sun x
Sorry I can't edit my post...I just wanted to clarify when I say cool them down slowly.... You must act quickly ,what I mean is you don't just chuck a cold shower over them or put them in a freezing bath...it constricts blood vessels and inhibits the cooling process.
-I am with Chepi due to still being off with my broken ankle. So we are sitting watching Wimbledon with all the doors and windows open. I have dug out her makeshift paddling pool and she was thrilled, doing her mad tail-tuck flat-out run around in circles. I can walk in my air cushion boot so we have been getting out twice a day. Chepi has really slowed down in the last couple of days so the whole walk is about getting from one shady spot to the next, having a breather and carrying on. I shortened her walks today and will probably do an early walk tomorrow morning and then maybe one at about 7pm. Not sure about Wednesday as it will be in the 30's. Our walk has a stream too, so Chepi usually has a play there. I worry about aircon in the car (not that I can drive at the mo) as I am sure it doesn't service the boot, where Chepi goes, as well as the front. I then end up opening all of the windows and not using the aircon. Still, it'll probably be raining in a fortnight
Also, don't just put a wet towel on them and leave it. It will warm up very quickly and end up having a negative effect. If you use a wet towel, you need to make sure you keep refreshing the coolness of it.
The cool mat has been amazing for us. Harley gets off our bed in the night and seeks the cool mat out. We also have her water bowl in our ensuite so she can drink if she wants. I walked harley at 4.30pm today - we went to the woods which were lovely and shaded and the stream is perfect for cooling her down - she played with 4 other labs today, all doing their walks in the woods rather than in fields
Hot? What's that? hah. Actually is WAS very hot here over the weekend - 32C on Sunday! On Friday it was around 28-29C, I took the pooch for quite a long walk which probably would have been okay except my route had very few trees in it. By the time we were halfway I was wondering how we were going to make it back! We both had big drinks and a long rest after that!
