Dogs and Warm Weather!

 
The climate is changing, in many country's the summers get hotter and hotter. That is why it is so important to know how damaging heat can be for you're dog! There are coming more and more hot days in the summers we have. In 2006 we had in the Netherlands a record of hot days above the 30 degrees.
Dogs are looking for a cool place. Don't leave you're dog outside if it is the hottest moment of the day.  Put some fresh water every time inside as well as outside for you're dog. A nice thing with when it is hot is put some ice cubes in the water. They can play with it and it is refreshing.  Refresh the water extra often with those heat days, because dogs have the extra need to drink more.
Dogs are looking places in the shade because there are a bit cool on hot days. If you don't have a cool place for you're dog, make a place that is cool for you're dog outside and indoors!
 
Dogs love it to lay down in the sun. But laying in the hot sun can be very dangerous for dogs. If they are lying to long in the hot sun they can be can be come in a coma of even dy of the consequenses of the heat temperature. Human can sweat everywere through there skin, but dogs only can sweating through there tongue (panting) and paws, but not though there skin. A dog has'nt that much sweatingglands as humans

 
 Walking besides a bycicle above the 20 degrees can be dangerous for dogs. They're bodytemperature can increase till an irresponsible hight! The paws can be getting blisters by the heat of the asphalt, because the paws are wettish.

If a dog needs to run long distance besides a bicycle, please do this on a low tempo and don't let you're dog run over the heat asphalt. A dog needs to be practising to run long distance, so practise with you're dog if you want to run with you're dog! Start it slowly over short distances, first 5 minutes, and take the time to practise. 

 
Leaving dogs waiting in the car with warm weather is very dangerous. Even as the car is standing in the shade with their windows open. The temperature in the car can get very high! Temperatures in the car can rise to 60 degrees Celcius in the summer. A tongue of a dog will not be enough to get the warmt out of his body. The temperature from a dog wil rise very fast till a dangerous hight, the dog will do loos his unconscious. A terrible death will be following for the dog!
If the dog can be helped soon enough, there is a little change the dog wil survive, but it is possible that the dog has a lot of damage on kidney's and brains. In the sping it can be very hot too in the car. Overheated can lead to a coma or even to death.

Symptoms of overheating:
* thick blue tongue and a swollen throat
* The dog is feeling hot, fever ( a dogs dangerzone is when the temperature is rising above the 40 degrees Celsius!
* swinging with the backhand (dogs don't controle their nervous system anymore)
* excessive dribbling, panting and/or vomating
* Tongue and lips are having a excessive red colour. If the colour is changing from excessive red into blue, is a coma nearby. 

The symptoms can be in a commodity aid as a licht pink colour from the tongue and lipps, thick tongue and swollen throat and excessive dribbling. A dog can even be overheated in you're home, as there are tropical temperatures outside. Even in the nightly hours. Give you're dog in the day some extra cooling, fresh water, let them play with water, with a garden hose or in a childrens pool. Don't put the swimming pool in the full sun, but in the shade!  Don't let you're dog play outside on the heatest of the day. If you have an older dog or a sick dog, lay him on a cool place, for example with a wet towel or a cooling mat (you can buy that with an Petstore! Be carefull with you're dogs with tropical temperatures, the older and sick dogs have more problems with tropical temperatures than younger and healthy dogs!
 
   
An overheated dog needs to go directly to a cooler place and you have to cool him down with water. Throw water over the dog, or blinding him with a towel. Don't leave the towel to long on the dog. The dog can than be super cooled. The best for an overheated dog is, to put him in a bath with his paws, so that his paws getting colder again. His bodytemperature will go down too.

Important with tropical temperatures are
* Create a cool place inside and outside for you're dog
* Never leave them outside on the hottest moment of the day
* Give them often cool and fresh water
* Let them play with water on a colder moment of the day, for example the morning or evening!

Don't let your dog drink out of

Don't let youre dog drink out of pools or other nature pools when the temperature is for longer time high. In waters are with hot weather much bacteries, you're dog can get very sick from drinking from these places.

 
 
A cool dive in the water is delicious, especcially when there are tropical temperatures. Be always carefull and look if the water is clean and there are no dangerous algae in the water!
 
If you go to swim with you're dog with tropical temperatures, don't go on the heatest moment of the day, but go early in the morning or in the evening. Don't let you're dog swim in the full sun.


Some human think that you need to shave long haired dogs in the summer, but the long coat is their protection for the sun. Even as this thick coat protects them in the winter for the cold is it the same protection for the hot sun. If you shave the long coated dog in the summer he will get burned by the sun!

The back of the nose has always thin hair. If the dog is laying to long in the sun, than the back of the nose can be burned by the sun. This is looking exactly as collie-nose! To keep you're long coated sheltie cool in the hottest period of the year, comb him of her every day, make the coat very airy, so that the coat can breath! Is the coat very thick, you can make the coat a bit thinner by a special scisser. Let you're dog swim on the cooler moments of the day, but dry the coat very good if he is finished swimming. Through the thick coat and the wet coat the dog can get hotspots if the coat stays to long wet!
 
© Copyright Jacqueline Bosch