Cooling your dog down

[hammerman]

Do you do anything to cool your mut down ? My Springer is flaked out indoors all the time. We give him the run of the house and leave fans on for him when we go out. But is there anything else you can do ?. I occasionally chuck him under the hose pipe but he hates it but that's it !!!!

[craft1948]

I leave the bathroom door open (but the lavatory lid down) so he can lay on the cool tiles. At the moment he is sitting in front of a large tower fan with a grin on his face and hair blowing in the breeze.

[abstibus]

Hi, Hammerman
This isn't an answer, just something funny my dog did on Monday evening. I had her on the beach, where she was playing with a friendly Collie. Even though it was after eight, it was still quite hot., and the sea was like a millpond.

She is a rescue dog and has never shown any interest in the water. Suddenly, she was nowhere to be seen on the beach, and as she can be a bit of a bolter, I got quite worried.

Then I saw her in the shallow water, just sitting, covered up to the neck, with only her head showing. It was so funny, I felt like joining her.

She obviously has her own ideas about what to do in this weather!

[lankeela]

Cool spray from a water bottle is best. Do not put a wet towel or coat on a dog when its hot, it acts like a sauna and keeps the heat in.

If a dog suffers from heatstroke, hose gently with cool water (only dunk in totally in emergency if there is no hose).

Put cool water on the stomach and inside the thighs, but don't use very cold icy water as the shock can kill the dog.
Once the dog is starting to cool, don't use any more cold water as its temperature will continue to drop internally.

Don't give ice cubes to eat/drink as they can also cause shock. Ordinary water is best in small quantities little and often.

[wolf63]

It must be really awful to be covered in thick fur at this time of the year.

My two moggies are almost catatonic most of the day - lying in shaded bits of the house with their eyes glazed. I think that they are under the impression that I upped the temperature just to annoy them.

[garner]

You can buy Rock Sulphur I think Sherley's do it, its not dear.You put it in your dogs water,it's reported to cool the blood,don't know how it works, but you could give it a try.It's been on the go for some years, so must be some truth in it.I think anything is worth trying when we have these very hot spells.

[brenda]

Plenty of fresh water, cut down on the food a little --it seems to get left and then go funny.Cut out walks in the heat of the day ,go when cooler.

Dogs are pretty sensible will find a shady spot, or stay indoors and rest.Just let them do their own thing, with a few pats and strokes in between.