At the risk of stating the obvious for most of our higly aware DUers, given the nationwide heatwaves I hope all will help remind their friends, neighbors, and even strangers on the street on the risks of heat to their hairy best friends. While most people have finally gotten the message about how deadly a car can be-- even with open windows and a partially shaded vehicle-- there are other issues that don't seem as intuitive.
As elsewhere, in Colorado, we've been having a wave of days well into the 100s, yet I continually see people walking, and even running their otherwise athletic dogs in the intense sun of noon to mid/late- afternoon. Beyond the fact they are frying the pads of their poor feet on hot concrete, the dogs are having to run in conditions that approach that of an inactive, grossly overweight human-- given their heat-trapping fur coats. Even short-haired dogs suffer. Their need to pant to release heat, rather than sweat, places short-nosed dogs (pugs,shih-tzus, boston terriors, bulldogs, and the like)at especially high risk from overexertion and heat stroke. In addition, many urban areas are trapped under a layer of ozone and particulate pollution and that adds to both human and animal risk.
There have been a number of incidents of young healthy kids suffering fatal heat stroke, while similarly engaged in football or other athletic practice, during the heat of the day. Please don't let your dog suffer the same fate, no matter how fit and convinced of your own ability to tolerate the heat. We really need to sve the long walks/light runs for very early morning or well after the sun has gone down and leave the really long runs for a return of normal, more moderate temps.
Letting dogs swim, where possible is fine, but a tip on cooling them down with your water bottle...
If you want to spray your dog down to cool them further (while in the shade, of course), spray their belly. The hair is thinner, with less undercoat there, which allows the water to reach the skin and evaporate to cool them. Conversely, if you spray down their back--as I've been seeing owners do a lot lately--the water is trapped within their layers of hair and essentially becomes a steam sauna for them as the hot sun shines down. Spray their belly, not their back...
People are generally well intentioned with their pets (and their children) in this country. Despite my severe sense of helplessness and depression over global events and the widespread suffering of innocent people, that does give me a bit of hope for the future. Right now, my pups are my hold on sanity, as I suspect they may be for others. Please don't let them suffer as a result of your best intentions.... :loveya: