Has anyone any good tips for helping dogs cope with hot weather? My six month flattie seems to be completely poleaxed by this (lovely) spell of sunshine and warmth. We are doing the sensible things - not walking him until the evening, plenty of water, giving him ice-cubes to crunch, spraying him gently with the hose (he is not keen on this though he loves getting into the river - strange!).
Someone told us it's because he's a black dog - same idea as when we wear black clothes, it radiates heat in instead of away. Not much we can do about his colour - lol - but could this be a factor, jsut out of interest?

My 2 flatties are crashed out in the front room where it's cool! The pup especially feels the heat as he's still very fluffy and quickly gets overheated. We are just about to get their paddling pool out on the patio - they absolutely love it. Also try putting a t shirt on him and soaking it, rewet it when it starts to dry out.

We didn't actually walk ours as such last night - they went swimming in a local pool and then just had a 5 min walk back to the car, just to dry the worst off before they got back in.

We took Tarn to Gatcombe horse trials last year when he was only 11 weeks, it ws drizzling in the morning when we arrived but the afternoon was a scorcher - they were handing out dog bandanas which we soaked with water, and also sprayed his coat regularly from a bottle.

Spraying dogs with water is not always a great solution, the heat and the light burns though the water.

The best thing to do is keep the dogs inside when possible and keep curtains closed and have a fan on to move the air.  Plenty of fresh water etc.

Mine personally love sunbathing but will always head to a cool room in the house now and again to cool off and have  never had a problem with a dog making themselves heated.

If you're going to spray the dog with water, I've heard that you really need to drench the dog right through to the skin. Just spraying the top coat can actually make the dog hotter.

Do not put anything on the dog, ie: wet towels or t-shirts.. these hold the heat in, they do not allow the dog to cool down..

ideally dogs are best kept indoors in cool rooms in temps like today.. but.. if they really want to go outside.. like my black labs do.. and of course find the hottest place to sunbathe.. grab some old bathsheets or bath towels and soak them.. the dogs will lie on them to cool down.. If they are on a grassy area, keep the grass wet.

wetting the dogs coat is not going to cool them down either.. they have thick waterproof coats.. if you are going to hose them, get the underbelly and the pulse points in the groin, to keep the blood circulation cooled

If dogs are in an enclosed space like a run, or a fenced/walled yard.. a cheap gazebo will help, failing that.. some old sheets tied/taped/nailed to fencing will help.. looks dreadfull, but dogs are safer..

Oops, well I've learned something today! :-)

I love the paddling pool idea, also a soaked bath towel for him to lie on. It's hopeless trying to keep him inside for very long as he is glued to us most of the time and we need to be outside - loads of gardening!
I understand completely now why spraying him is not such a good thing - thanks!

This from Garry Mason in Wales:
Subject: heatstroke

Hello this is worth a look,, keep your eye on your
dogs through the summer months, as they can go
down with heat stroke. here is some information
to keep.

Stages:
rapid breathing
increased heart rate
dry mucous membranes
depression
increased body temperature
Later Stages:
collapse
pale mucous membranes
vomiting, diarrhea
seizures, coma
death

Treatment
Heatstroke is a medical emergency!
If you suspect heatstroke, move the dog to a shaded area, soak the coat in
cool water, apply ice packs under the legs and transport immediately to your
veterinarian. It is possible to cause the temperature to drop abnormally
low, so if you are a distance away - and if possible - monitor the
temperature on the way.
Complications
Even if the dog is successfully cooled, he may develop internal organ damage
which may not be noticeable for 1 - 5 days after apparent recovery. These
include clotting abnormalities, kidney and liver failure, or
gastrointestinal damage. Signs include bleeding tendencies, failure to
urinate, jaundice, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea.
The most important aid in heatstroke is prevention!!
Don't "treat" you dogs by letting them accompany you in the car for errands
in the warmer months. NEVER leave the dog in the car, even with the
windows down!!!
Plan any walks with your dog early in the morning or late in the evening.
Don't allow your dog to over-exert itself. This especially applies to our
working dogs or overactive, playful dogs!
Always have plenty of fresh water and shade available.
A very common problem we see is a dog who has accidentally spilled their
water over while the owner was away. Make sure you have a tip-proof bowl.
If the dog is tied up, make sure the leash can't cause a spill, and that the
dog can always reach the water.

GLENHAFOD KENNELS WALES

>> wetting the dogs coat is not going to cool them down either.. they have thick waterproof coats.. if you are going to hose them, get the underbelly and the pulse points in the groin, to keep the blood circulation cooled

in relation to the thick waterproof coats when a dog has an undercoat is it better to try to remove as much of the dead undercoat as possible in the summer or does this help to protect the skin underneath. 

Good question Cheekychow.. but it really depends on whether the coat is on the blow or not.. I have 2 at the moment who are down to their underpants.. but the rest of them are in full coat.. 2 having a very dense double undercoat.. even when swimming his skin does not get wet.. but yes, if the coat is on the blow, removing as much of the dead hair as possible, may help a little

for small dogs, something like a babies bath would be ideal to use as a paddling pool.. I have a friend who has an old corner bath in her garden, the Labs jump in and out.. and she can just unplug it to drain..

I have an old small eathenware horse trough, it not large enough to swim in.. but they love going in a splashing around in it.. 

Thanks Kay, he is only 6 months and on a constant moult it seems like!  I have a kiddies plastic paddling pool that I bought for my other dog but she won't go in it so maybe oberon will paddle about in it.  I will keep trying to remove loads of hair as he seems to be suffering in the heat already and summer has barely started.

Without wanting to highjack the thread, have you been to the kennel cough seminar yet Kay?  If so any interesting feedback?

> Without wanting to highjack the thread, have you been to the kennel cough seminar yet Kay?  If so any interesting feedback?

Oh dear.. call it senility,, (or puppy brain at the time).. but it was a week after the seminar, that I remembered about it .. I need to phone around and find another.. (I need an embarrassed smiley )

With all of these over heating pooches am I the only one with a BC that will insist in lying in direct sun panting her head off, take the silly moo indoors into our very cool lounge and she'll doze then at the next opportunity she's out again in the full blaze. She's not the full ticket I'm sure :)

All of the others are stretched out under trees and bushes catching a few Zzzzzz'd but numpty BC lie's in the sun, mind you there's fruit loop Sheltie aged 1 yr chasing butterflies. I thought my breeds were supposed to be quite bright. :)

What is it the colonials used to say "Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid day sun" LOL

> What is it the colonials used to say "Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid day sun

It was written by Noel Coward .. about the colonials ;-)

I stand corrected lol

> of the others are stretched out under trees and bushes catching a few Zzzzzz'd but numpty BC lie's in the sun,

tio loves the sun, so we took him out on lead to sunbathe yesterday. we only stayed out about 20 mins though, i didn't want him getting to warm

When it got hot and our dog had problems cooling (even though we walk at 5.30 am and not again till evening) we used an electric fan, placed a bottle of frozen water in front of it, instant air conditioning, worked a treat.  Black dogs do have more problems, just talked to the vet about this today as he mentioned the heat as our dog has a heart problem whiich makes her more sensitive to the heat and she too is black something I hadnt thought of till he brought up her colour today.

We bought a mixer tray from Homebase (used for mixing cement etc.) and use this as a pool for ours. Good size and very sturdy. We throw loads of 'pound shop' toys in there - our local shop has loads of floaty pool toys in just now. We also put a parasol over the area to keep it shaded and provide plenty of ice cubes.

BTW The mixer tray is great in the back of the car if you are carting loads of plants etc. back from the garden centre.