How to look after a dog in this heat

Have you got a fan? We used to put it on the floor so he got the full benefit from it. He also had a cool mat which he spent his life on when the temperature got slightly above freezing😄.

He was a terrier and once the temperature rose above 15 he felt uncomfortable.

I know at one time we had a westie and in the days when we would easily walk 10-12 miles we overdid it and had to carry him home in the heat. - well back to our caravan. Where we put him into the shower and gave him a tepid shower which soon bucked him up.

Hi, I'm looking after a small dog atm for neighbours who are away for a few days too. I'm an experienced dog walker/sitter.

So firstly it's way too hot to do anything with dogs during the day atm, due to the fact they cannot cool down the way we do.

So do not take out in car or walks whilst it's over 24 degrees.

I would get an old towell and wet it with cold water and place somewhere on your kitchen floor in the shade if you can, so that the dog can cool down.

Or you could spray with the hose to cool her down.

She might also just be too hot hence not eating or drinking much but important water is available to her.

Windows best closed in the day and blinds down.
Open windows at night to cool a house down.

You can google advice aswell, but tbh as long as you are keeping her cool, she'll be fine.

Yes could you pop her into a tepid shower - that will do the trick as she will stay damp for quite a while,

We walk early and late if it's over 28.

We bathe her after walks, we keep her inside. Water available.

I freeze yogurt (or kefir) mixed with a little honey in individual portions and give it to our boy as a wee treat to help cool him down.

My pup is being a bit picky with his food in this heat. Ceiling fans on in living room and conservatory and lots of fresh water sometimes with ice cubes added. DGD sprayed him with hose which he loved and he has plenty of shade to choose from. Early morning walk and missed evening walk because it was still 29 at 9 o’clock last night and I didn’t feel comfortable going out later. It could be also that your house guest is missing his family. Dogs can be very sensitive to change, so combine that with our unusual heat wave he’s probably feeling a bit sorry for himself 🐶. I used to wet an old towel, ring it out and drape it over my old Labrador who also suffered in the heat. Eating a little less for a few days won’t hurt him so don’t worry.

I hold an ice cube for mine to lick. She really enjoys it and it seems to cool her down. My DH call me Ironhands because I can hold the ice without complaining.

Thanks for the advice. I had bought a cool mat this morning but she hasn’t lain on it yet. I have put a damp towel on the kitchen floor as suggested so maybe she will find that. As for food, DH just offered her a bit of cheese and she refused that - very unusual!

Always cool the feet first because that's where dogs perspire and cool down. Never use very cold water. And don't cover with a wet towel for any length of time because that traps in the heat and raises body temperature. Maybe boil a bit of chicken in water to encourage drinking more or add a bit of goats milk to the water.

Good advice in theory but my dog was terrified by cold water, refused to stay in the shade and has never weed or pood in the garden so has to be taken out briefly in the sun.
My long haired cats choose to sleep upstairs on the carpet although it’s cooler downstairs with hard floors and the fan on.
None of them ever drink much. They would if they were thirsty.

Don’t walk her, dogs don’t die from no walk but the do from heat.

I’d be more concerned about not drinking than poor appetite….her gums should be pink and glistening . You can press the gum with your finger, colour should return to pink from white in under two seconds
Hope she’s ok, our dogs, like us, aren’t acclimatised to this heat

My dog loves cucumber which is very refreshing. I only realised this the other day when I put down her daily fish chewy stick ( which she loves) and a piece of my cucumber and she went straight for the cucumber.

And keep them at home indoors or in a shady garden.

Can you boil some chicken in water and get her to drink it ( if she’s ok with chicken that is). It’s what I give to my dogs if they’re had an operation. Do you have a thermometer, one of those ones that you just aim at the head? I think a normal temperature is 36-7.

It’s 38-39. Not sure why I’ve written 37 on the box.

I have been tidying the garden this afternoon and there is a poor dog nearby shut in a house alone and he has howled since lunchtime. I have messaged the owner who replied saying he is at work but monitoring him remotely and hopes he settles down soon.

Daisy25

Hi, I'm looking after a small dog atm for neighbours who are away for a few days too. I'm an experienced dog walker/sitter.

So firstly it's way too hot to do anything with dogs during the day atm, due to the fact they cannot cool down the way we do.

So do not take out in car or walks whilst it's over 24 degrees.

I would get an old towell and wet it with cold water and place somewhere on your kitchen floor in the shade if you can, so that the dog can cool down.

Or you could spray with the hose to cool her down.

She might also just be too hot hence not eating or drinking much but important water is available to her.

Windows best closed in the day and blinds down.
Open windows at night to cool a house down.

You can google advice aswell, but tbh as long as you are keeping her cool, she'll be fine.

Please don’t hose a dog down . Get a tepid wet towel to cool them down .

I’m walking my dog early and late when it’s cool and I keep to woods and shady areas . I also don’t walk as long as normal , which is an hour. I also have a fan in our kitchen and have the windows open .
I have a cool mat but he won’t lie on it
. I have a tepid wet towel and pat him with it . If the OPs dog is not eating try boiled chicken or cheese cubes . The dog could be missing his owners which can affect appetite.

The lack of appetite isn't unusual in that kind of heat but I'd be more concerned about drinking.Try offering fresh water in a few different spots, maybe even add some ice cubes or offer a little wet food. Keep walks very short and only early morning or late evening.