I know some of you have dogs and that some are susceptible to the heat.
What do you do for their comfort.
I know some of you have dogs and that some are susceptible to the heat.
What do you do for their comfort.
Plenty of shade and plenty of water.
If going for a walk pour a bottle of water over them first.
Having made the mistake of adopting fully grown Huskies in Asia, I can add a few tips on this as it was a constant battle sometimes.
As Neal says, wetting hair is a useful one. Giving them a damp "bed" to sleep on helps. You can even buy cooling beds filled with gel that cools when compacted; so they get on the mat, and it starts to cool. Wetting their tummy area is more useful that the whole dog as there is more skin in touch with the water / wetness.
Putting ice cubes in water can be good, but can also interfere with their body self regulating as well. So ensure it is not the norm but rather a refreshing drink at the height was the mid day heat.
Cutting their hair short actually made it worse for them - their hair insulates (hot and cold) and with it cut off, they were struggling to get cool internally. Only did that once and never again. If your dog has long hair, then that is what it should have.
Food - protein heavy food rather than carb heavy. Well, dogs should eat just raw meat anyway, but it is tough in Thailand. Carbs makes you hotter basically, so removing carbs is a good way to cool. Boiling up meat with water and veg and serving them that once cool was our approach and made a noticeable difference, not least because it increased water intake as well which helps cooling.
Shade with fan.You can rig up one of those polistyrene case boxes they use in markets with iced water bottles in which you rotate, and pass a fan draft through that to give very cheap airccon for the dogs - they can sit in a very cool breeze all day.
This guy did it with solar power.
You can do all of these things, but one point to keep in mind is that just because the dog is panting and in your eyes looks distressed, it doesn't mean they actually are. Panting is just them getting rid of excess heat. So mostly don't worry about it too much but give them options.
Hope that helps.
thanks for replies, plenty of water OK but never considered the food aspect.
Some food for thought ( I dont get out much)
Let the poor fukker into the airconned house with you thenOriginally Posted by roger77
hoy coolingOriginally Posted by roger77
Youve named your dog CnutOriginally Posted by baldrick
What do you do when she runs off?
^ Text message her?...
A friend of mine in North Queensland bought one of those kiddy pools that looks like a large plastic she'll. Her dogs lounge most of the day in it during the hot summer. (In the shade of course)
We let ours in the house when it gets too hot for them, a couple of nights a few weeks back when it was really hot we had them sleep in the house at night as we noticed the oldest dog we have which is a 14 year old poodle was showing signs of heat exhaustion.
Very kind to let your dogs sleep in the house when it gets too hot.
My advice would be not to get a bloody dog unless you treat it as one of the family.
When growing up in the U.K, I have never met a dog that lived outside. Before you all start going on about how cold it is, I would suggest that it is the same here, except it is too hot and humid for them to be comfortable.
So how do you keep dogs happy in the heat? F$&king easy...
(1) Take them for long walks before sunrise.
(2) Take them for long walks after sunset.
(3) Let them chill out on the aircon between sunrise and sunset.
(4) Lay on enough water and a comfy bed inside an aircon room
(5) Voila, one hydrated happy dog...
Black diamonds? I shit 'em.
I want piccies.
Well- no air in our house first thing in morning front and rear doors open, there has been very little wind lately so no natural air movement.
The pooch has free access to the house got more rights than me.
I notice he likes to lay in the least used bathroom, with wet tiles better.
Does get walked morning and late evening.
Looking into the food thing.
My dogs have beds in my air conditioned bedroom where they sleep at night in the hot weather.
Last night, one of the dogs asked to be let out, then back in a few minutes later. I thought he went for a pee. Nope. Woke up this morning with a present, a piece of fried chicken, on my bed. Gack!
Check the item linked below.
From Oz but the frame is easily made by your local security screen guy. The "bed" is a hessian / jute sack modified to suit.
Use outside or in an area where the jute can be kept wet. As the water evaporates you have a pleased pooch. Air flow underneath helps. Easy to keep clean.
These are very popular in tropical Oz.
If interested I can sketch the frame so you can have it made.
Superior Pet Goods Framed Dog Bed - Hessian/ Jute
Superior Pet Goods Framed Dog Bed - Hessian/ Jute
55555. We do not have aircon and our somewhat feral dogs are not allowed in the house. With the current heat they gravitate to the coolest places in our house i.e. our two bathrooms. I don’t care but the wife kicks them out…
My dogs are my most precious possessions and they sleep where they like. They are much better cared for than 95% of the children in the UK are.
When we took our 2 dogs to Thailand we purchased 'Cool Coats' you just soak the coats in water and put on the dog. They are really good at cooling the dogs down.
The biggest problem with taking dogs to Thailand are ticks. We tried everything available to treat ticks but it didn't stop our German Shepherd from getting E-canis. We nearly lost him to the disease but he pulled through.
Our Border Terrier also contracted it but we caught it earlier with her. Dogs taken from Europe are at a serious risk. The wife would spend at least an hour a day checking the dogs for ticks and would fimd lots every day.
If you are taking your dogs Can123 be very mindful of this threat.
SCROTUM PASS ME PISTOL
Thanks, I am taking the dogs with me. I was aware of the problem with ticks and had even read about buying guinea fowl to counter them. These birds are difficult to keep at home and prevent them for wandering off to pastures new. They do, however, make serious inroads into the local tick population if one is able to house and retain them.Originally Posted by bankao dreamer
The most effective thing we tried was Baticol, it's very similar to sheep dip. Although not 100% effective it kept them off the longest. Also you can mix up some in a spray bottle and spray the dogs bedding and surrounding areas.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)