the heat is on!

Woohee it is hot folks - been hot all of June really but this week is especially hot
So keep an eye on your furry friends, they can't deal with the heat as well as us.
There is a bunch of essential information here
LINK

Some of the things I do for Bugsy are:
only walk him very early (pre-sunrise) or after sunset
I wet him down prior to his walk/run - the best parts to wet are their underneath, groin area, armpits, & feet. I do these and then wet his back for good measure LOL

After our walks I fill his kiddie pool and he stands in it (Oh how I wish he would lie down in it) and he has a huge drink. I splash the water underneath him again making sure his groin area and armpits get wet.

I don't let him out for long during the heat of the day. For some bizarre reason he will go lay on the deck and bake himself so I limit this.

In the evenings when he goes out I often give him one of the ice treats I make with an old 32oz yogurt tub water and cheese. This helps occupy him for a bit and cools too.

He basically sleeps all day which is highly unusual for him so he is raring to go when it cools a bit.
A few energy burners -

I tend to not just throw his meal in his bowl - I use some sort of kibble dispenser to occupy him.

I do some indoor training and/or games.

The heat really limits his activities and he is a dog that needs activities so the above are simple ways that I try to use up some of that unused energy.



Here's an interesting tidbit - a short single coat dog is the worst in the heat as double coats insulate from cold and heat. Obviously darker colors absorb more heat. So if you like me own a short single coated dog who is dark in color be very aware of them overheating

Oh and of course dogs with 'pushed' in faces (think bulldog) have extra difficulty breathing in the heat.

Lastly watch you dog's tongue - sure it is normal for it to lengthen with exertion but watch the color as it shouldn't go too dark and also watch for when it will widen. If you see your dog's tongue dark red, extended and widening it is time to stop what you are doing and cool them off. For more specific details read that link above