Helping Your Dogs Keep Their Cool!

Summer is definitely here in Northern California.  We are being hit with a heat wave where daily temperatures are in the 100's and the night time temperatures aren't dropping much below the upper 70's to mid 80's. My two collies would like it to be known that this is NOT good collie weather at all!

It's incredibly frustrating for me to see people out walking their dogs in the middle of the day when it's the hottest.  Just now, I looked out the window to see someone walking their dog; the dog's mouth was wide open, eyes squinty, and tongue out as far out as it would go, bouncing around on the hot sidewalk.  This was upsetting to see.  If you can feel the heat of the sidewalk through your shoes (which I can, I just checked!) and/or it's too hot to touch with the palm of your hand, then it's too hot to be walking your dog out there.  Plus, a dog who is panting that hard to try to cool off is in obvious distress. Understanding how dogs cool themselves is helpful, but keeping them comfortable in the summertime is partly our job as their owners too.

People sweat when it's hot and that does help cool us off as that moisture evaporates cooling our skin.  Dogs actually sweat too. Dogs have merocrine glands in their paw pads making sweating through their paws one way for a dog to cool off. Dogs also have apocrine glands (often referred to as sweat glands) located throughout their bodies, but these glands don't do much for cooling and are more about scent marking and identification among individual dogs. Unfortunately, however, dogs cannot cool themselves completely just through the pads of their feet. The primary way dogs cool themselves is through panting.

When a dog pants, the moisture on their tongues evaporates, as well as the moisture that exists in the lining of their lungs. In order to make panting most effective though, the dog must have access to water to help keep this system working effectively.  Making sure your dogs have access to clean, cool water when it's hot is a necessity.  Sometimes if they are really hot, however, they won't want to drink and thus this method of cooling won't be as effective.  Dogs do regulate their body temperature through vasodilation as well, a process by which blood vessels expand bringing hot blood closer to a dog's skin surface and helping them to then circulate cooler blood throughout their bodies.  The problem with this cooling mechanism is that young dogs may overheat faster than the system can cool them, and elderly or physically compromised dogs may also be unable to cool themselves effectively without your direct intervention. Heat exhaustion can very quickly turn into a life-threatening event for a dog if their humans aren't vigilant.  Here are the signs to watch for:

• heavy or rapid panting
• heightened salivation
• ataxia (stumbling or lack of coordination)
• bright red gums indicating that vasodilation mentioned above
• rapid heart rate
• feeling very warm to the touch
• muscle tremors (some dogs will even experience seizures)
• loss of consciousness

So what can you do if your dog is overheating?  Get them to a cool area, preferably indoors near the air conditioning or near a fan, and get their heads and feet wet. As the cool air blows across their bodies, that water on their heads and feet will start to bring their body temperature down. Keep putting cool water on them until they are able to drink and then offer fresh water. If your dog isn't able to recuperate at home, contact your veterinarian for further care.

So, what can you do every day to insure that your dog is as comfortable as possible when the weather is hot? Only walk your dogs early in the morning and late in the evening when the air temperature is a bit lower and the ground isn't too hot for their feet.  You can even purchase cooling vests for your dogs to help keep their body temperature lower, or cooling collars which work well for small dogs or those with short coats.

Fresh, cool water is a must.  If you have bowls outside, make sure the water in them isn't too hot to drink.  If your dogs must be outside, make sure they have access to shade along with several water bowls to drink from.  You can add in a large, plastic child's wading pool as well for them to soak their warm bodies in and rapidly cool off. Don't be afraid to drop some ice cubes in the water in their bowls and in the pool.  Those ice cubes will melt quickly and cool off the water. Better yet, bring your dogs indoors and let them rest near fans or A/C vents to stay cool. If you don't have hard floor surfaces for your dog to spread out on and cool off, consider cooling mats for summer resting spots instead of dog beds or rugs.

Cool treats are not just refreshing, but they can help your dog cool off.  Some dogs like ice cubes and those are fine to give them.  Frozen yogurt is refreshing and you can use liquid yogurt to make your dog homemade frozen"pupsicles" to enjoy. Even giving your dog apple slices or frozen blueberries or strawberries will be a refreshing snack on a hot day.

Finally, remember to keep your animals well-groomed.  Brushing or combing them means you will be getting out all of the loose fur that keeps them from thermoregulating properly on their own.  You will notice that your dogs shake their whole bodies after you groom them; this puffs up the coats of medium to long-coated dog breeds allowing for good air flow to their skin.

Hot days don't have to be painful.  Thinking ahead to when to walk your dogs and when to just let them rest is the bare minimum we can do.  Adding in wading pools, refreshing treats, and cooling options are even better.

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Ozzie and Desi wearing their "Swamp Cooler Dog Cooling Vests" from Ruffwear.  I got one for Westley too because even smooth collies get warm during the summer months!