Coping with the heat: MEGATHREAD!

toadfly

I made up an icepop for the dogs last night with sardines, water, brocolli and dog nuts. They will love it this evening. Thanks for the suggestion

Dunny

Is it safe to take the dog out walking in this heat?

SkyBlooo

It quite obviously depends on the breed.

Sure he would be fine:



This fella on the other hand

Dunny

Labrador, 14mnths old

SkyBlooo

Should be fine.

Bring a large bottle of water just in case.
If he's panting too hard and starts getting quite sluggish I'd say that's enough.

Cocolola

It's probably best to walk him/her early morning and late evening. I haven't been taking my fella out until after 8 or 9 pm this week. He's too hot even lying in shade in the garden so any exercise would be a no no. Plus the pavements and roads (if that's where you walk your dog) can be very hot on their feet.

However if you live near a river, lake or the sea and can get the dog there comfortably, I'd say that would be a nice cool down

bluecherry74

It's fine to walk her as long as it's either early in the morning or late at night. You might want to reduce the length of her walks as well if she looks like she's struggling. Bring some water with you and have a nice frozen treat waiting for her when you get home.

I've abandoned our evening walk for the time being as one of my dogs is having a really hard time in the heat. We're going out really early instead, at around 5:30am. It sounds like a crazy time to be getting up, but it's really lovely out at that time!

mymo

For the collie that doesn't like water try shaving the belly area, up to between the front legs, it won't be seen normally and will cool her if she lies on the grass.

Allyall

Well, the Dog is apprarently a lot cooler today. She had her Ice Lollies,
Has her water bowls everywhere, and she wasn't panting as much, or as noticeably today.


She clipped her fur at the sides..

I don't know if that would make any difference, but it's done now..

She didn't get the chance to get a paddling pool today, I thought i might have been able to, but will get one tomorrow.
This one seems perfect - http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/3653409/Trail/searchtext%3EPADDLING+POOL.htm

She's doing a bit/lot better now anyway, so thanks everyone for the advice. Any more ideas still would be great.

Kinzig

My dog is pure black and spends his time under the kitchen table where ive both doors open to give him some air during this hot spell..then in the evening its an hours swim in the lough which he really enjoys..

saltyporridge

Dunny wrote: »

Labrador, 14mnths old

My lab has refused walks for the past few days (that has never happened before ). I filled a paddling pool for her and she's spent hours jumping in and out of it which cools her down. I guess at this stage that she's made up the exercise deficit.

boomerang

Determined to cool down, Boo takes matters into her own hands:

are you serious

I havnt had either of my two out at all since this weather has started apart from a 5 minute run at 11.30pm and even then they are wrecked with the dead heat out there, I have given them a good shower with the hose out the back garden then they just come in and lie down on the tiles in the hall for almost the whole day!!

kakee

Some people really do need things in pictures and in plain English. This photo is about looking after dogs in hot weather.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=596124913743712&set=a.596124910410379.1073741825.213221102034097&type=1&theater

SpaceTime

Our cat's really not handling the heat as well as I expected!

He's going around absolutely knackered and hanging out in the shadows / under the fan in the living room and really enjoying ice-water !

He's a ginger, with a pink nose, very light coloured eyes etc etc.

Doesn't seem to be a fan of this heat at all.

With regard to suncream, is human suncream safe on their ears?

There are a lot of things we can handle (as fruit eaters) that cats and other animals find quite toxic.

meoklmrk91

My lad has been enjoying some frozen chicken thighs all week, I call them his ice pops, it really seems to cool him down, will be getting some ice pop molds next time I am in the pound shop, but for now cheap cuts of chicken will do. Also putting some ice cubes in the water bowls and leaving him in as much as possible, only putting him out if am going to be gone for more than 4 hours at a time. He's a boxer and the heat really seems to be getting to him, not walking him just playing a quick game of fetch at dawn and dusk he seems to be killed after even a short walk in this weather no matter the time.

kinkygirl

Our two seem to be wiped out with this heat. We have two fans going, to cool the room down and bowls of water with added ice cubes all over the house. We have changed their walk times to 7am, tbh, I don't think they could cope later in the day, when it really heats up.
Better to be safe than sorry.

Sully

What's the best way to look after animals in this weather, particular for rabbits?

My good friend has a rabbit in a large run out the garden. The bottom section is covered over on the top and the sides to create a shade for when it was raining but also to avoid heat. Always has enough water available and is kept outside at night during the warm spell instead of the hutch in the garage. They rub his ears with a damp cloth now, as recommended by some TV Programme this week. Anything else?

Similar question for dogs but my own westie has the run of the house and garden, so moves around to different outside spots where its shaded and goes out into the sun when she wants. Likewise, she can come in and out of the house as she pleases. Plenty of fresh water available for her.

Might be a good thread for general recommendations for animals in this weather.

ABajaninCork

The amount of people who think it's a good idea to take their dogs out in the afternoon, when the sun is blazing hot annoys me no end. To me, it's bordering on cruelty. And they don't have the nous to at least take a bottle of water either! I saw a guy walking two huskies in the burning sun last week. He was OK. Stripped to the waist in order to get a good tan. The poor dogs were barely putting one foot in front of the other. Must've been murder on their poor paws! :mad:

My poor little guy is struggling to cope in this heat. I've taken to walking him at 7am, when it's nice and cool, and he can get a run without getting too hot. The rest of the time, the poor fella's slumped in the kitchen or living room under the fan. I'm always topping up his bowl with fresh, cold water. I've also taken to giving him a wash down with cool water, and will put a damp flannel on his neck to try and cool him down.

SingItOut

Aside from topping up their water bowls you should put some ice cubes into the water to keep it chilled for longer, also ceramic bowls don't over heat as easily as steel ones.

There is a fantastic product called rock sulfur which you put into your dogs water and it helps them cool down quicker. Maxi Zoo stores stock it, it's relatively inexpensive

FoxyVixen

Make your own pet ice pops!!

For the dogs I've been putting a can of tuna with 2/3 treats in it into a container and fill with water. Freeze overnight and give it to them around the hottest point of the day, between 2-5pm. They instantly look refreshed after it and it provides mental stimulation, making up for the lack of walk during the day. Take them out at night now. Maybe you could freeze carrots/parsnips for rabbits? Or use vegetable stock diluted in water and make flavoured ice cubes for them?

Dodd

.I have no idea about rabbits but I don't think their teeth are up bitting hard stuff like dogs are.
It might be best to put the food in the fridge rather than the freezer but like I said I don't know rabbits.

Dodd

I have posted before that there should be a first page thread on this.
But every day people ask.
Why not post a first page answer for sun burn and the like but not sticky.

DBB

Dodd wrote: »

I have posted before that there should be a first page thread on this.
But every day people ask.
Why not post a first page answer for sun burn and the like but not sticky.

Done
This thread has been made into a megathread of merged threads from the past week or two, and temporarily stickied until the hot spell is overc(well, until the next one anyway!)
If anyone sees any bits of this megathread that don't make sense due to all the merging, please let one of the mods know by PM and we'll try to fix it
Thanks,
DBB

The Sweeper

I live in tropical north Queensland, where our summer temps average about 34 during the day and 26 at night, and our winter temps average about 24 during the day and 17 at night. The following are the strategies we use to keep the pets cool.

We keep all exercise to the coolest part of the day only, which for us is first thing in the morning - 5am to 8am. We never run the dog in the afternoon. Resist the urge to play fetch with Fido while sitting out in your yard in the afternoon sun - the game can go badly wrong very quickly.

Sometimes if we have guests they'll start playing with the dog in the heat. If he gets too hot I bring him in to lie on the cold tiles and if he's panting very heavily I get a packet of frozen peas, wrap them in a tea cloth and hold them up in his armpit to cool him quickly.

Frozen kongs are a godsend.

Cats do indeed have a higher tolerance for heat than dogs. Cats will pant to cool themselves - it's not as common as dogs, but it's not a cause for alarm. It just means they're hot. Make sure they have an area of shade to rest in. Cats are far less likely than dogs to stress themselves out by racing around the place in the heat.

For cats, swap out favourite bedding or provide alternative sleeping spots with less padding. Cats like to sleep through the heat in one long, extended siesta.

Providing a breeze doesn't make much of a difference as animals don't sweat (breeze works by cooling our sweaty skin). You're better off allowing access to a cool surface like a tiled floor on the shady side of the house. If the fan is circulating air through the house and the room is genuinely cooler that can help, but I know up here our fans just push hot air around and the pets actually move away from areas where the fans are.

I try not to wet the dog down, because given the heat and humidity where I live, keeping him wet leads to skin reactions. I'd rather keep him dry but give him access to shade, cold water and the option of frozen peas in the armpit if it's a particularly rough day.

ABajaninCork

The summers in London can be every bit as hot as it has been here, and hot summers at home are far more frequent!

I had cats in London. When the weather was like this, I used to shut them indoors daytime, and let them out at night when it was cooler. I also used to starve them in the day and again feed them at night, when they would really appreciate the food and there was less likelihood of leaving it to go off. Nothing worse than the smell of cat food gone off! It's worse than cat sh1t! :P I always used to leave water for them with an ice cube in their bowls, so it was nice and cold, but not too cold.

bluecherry74

Just got an email from Creedons Doggie Daycare to say they're having a pool party on Saturday at their Little Island centre in Cork:

http://tools.emailsys.net/mailing/19/318129/747966/4hh6oz/index.html

I'll be there with Henry and Jess. If there are any other Cork Boardsies going it would be nice to say hello!

ABajaninCork

Yeah, I got that e-mail too! I think we'll take our little boy down to make more doggy friends. It'll be the morning though as we have a Shih Tzu.

See you there hopefully, Bluecherry!

Dodd

I think I might be over protective since my pup
got little burnt a few months ago.

I walked her for a short while today ,a 15min and 10 min and she got burnt a little.
I think if I had of taken her out more in the sun earlier in the year she might be ok with this.

ABajaninCork

What time are you walking the dog? In this weather, you should either take her out early in the morning (like 6-7am!), or much later in the evening when it's cooler. No way should you walk the dog between the hours of 11-4pm!