Trapped inside due to the heat

[Sue and Cash]

I swear I won't complain about the frigid cold snowy weather again.  You all take notes and slap me when I do!  It is 95 degrees today in suburban Chicago.  The humidity is 100%.  This is day two of a five day heat wave that came way to early!  We took Cash later in the evening for a jaunt in the fields near by since the dog park is out of the question.  He didn't fair well in the heat at all.  He ran for a few minutes chasing birds and then was foaming and panting and had loose stools which he had again today from the heat.  He is bored in the house so we are doing five minutes outside, walk to the corner, visited the pet store and grandma's house for a few minutes so he could get a change of scenery.  We have played ball and done inside training enough for two days and other than taking him swimming any ideas?   What do you do in the super hot weather.  It is dangerous for a dog out there.  I thought about if I take him for a quick run, to wet him down first to help him some. 

[lyn hathaway]

hi susan yes this hot weather is terrible for the dogs isnt it.i dont take them out from about 10 in the morning until late afternoon we re at present coming to the end of our heat wave and weve been lucky.we are away at the seaside for 10 weeks and late in the afternoon weve taken the dogs on the beach .they have been in the sea t cool off layla loved it she was in it right up to her shoulders before the heatwave she was lucky if she got wet more than halfway up her legs lol.
on a more serious note the setter we had before dusty went out into the garden once during hot weather with us and although she was shaded that night she took ill we had her to vets and they kept her in on a drip vernight they said it was heat stroke.since then we keeep them indoors preferably with fans on.hope it soon cools down for you then cash can enjy his walks in the park

[Sue and Cash]

So you ladies don't have air conditioning? We wouldn't survive with the dog without it. I surely couldn't and not sure how people do it since our summers are so humid. The bedrooms are on the second floor and it holds heat badly. Then again our basement is like a meat locker. I will just have to bring a large thing of water and soak him first but even then he won't be out for more than a quick 20 min walk. And your right puppies just don't understand they can't run around in the heat without getting sick.

[danielle rowles]

If I was mega rich I'd have a house with air con throughtout for the summer and under floor heating for the winter, in england we can't win, we moan when its too hot and then when it rains or is cold!! lol

Sue I think I may have to borrow your towelling coat idea, could of really done with it on Sunday.

I'm fairly lucky as although I get pleanty of sun on my garden there is always parts of it that is shady and the house doesn't get baking hot so they can go where they please really, though they do get cooled of with the hose, I'm also lucky that I have some walking that is in woodland and so cool and shady and I have walking around pleanty of water, though they still get walked either very early in the morning or later in the afternoon, I can't stand walking in the heat so I don't put me or the dogs through it.

[Ilona & Gina]

Crikey, here in Oz, air con is so expensive! Our Western Australia power supplier increased the prices by 40 % last year, and we really need to budget it. How are power prices in US?

[Ilona & Gina]

Sue, actually the trick with the towels seems to be a good idea. Our dog trainers said we should soak some towels in water. Only our dogs dont' like it.

[Jo Ottinger]

I get one of those plastic kiddy pools for the dogs they love laying and walking through it when it is hot outside. Even laying next to it helps to cool off. All walks are done before 9am or after 8pm. Do not do any hunt or agility trials in the summer as it is to hot here even with water down before a run.

[Ilona & Gina]

Hi Susan,

Are you an early riser? That's what we do in summer (at the moment, it' winter in Western Australia) The summers here are terribly hot, so that we have a very early walk at 5am, and then late at night, around eight-ish.

Then we have one of these kiddy-pools in the garden, however, they don't go out in the heat anyway.

We live by the beach, so "the kids" run in the water, which cools their paws. Other than that, the dogs are at home during the day with the air con on. They don't want to go out in the hot weather. We are spoilt migrants from Northern Europe and we suffer accordingly :))

But dogs just suffer so much more than humans, as they don't sweat. I am soooo careful with heat. Heat stroke is serious. Better a bored dog than a dog with a heat stroke!

[Elizabeth Ball]

Thank goodness it is a little cooler today, this is my first summer with Bella and I will admit that I am being a little paranoid about heat stroke etc and have been forcing her to lie in the hallway which has a cold limestone floor which cools her down nicely after she has foolishly decided to lie in the garden in the full sun...... yes, I know Setters are intelligent dogs but sometimes you do wonder! I was pondering posting on a related issue to this summer heat whilst out for our earlier than usual walk this morning so I will tag it in here rather than start a new forum question.

We are bumbling through OK (loving the hose) but she has been off her food whilst it has been so warm, I am not overly concerned at this point as she is scoffing her evening meal which I am giving to her around 8.00pm but she has no interest in anything during the day (other than ice cubes - she makes a bee-line for the freezer as soon as she hears me open the door to get myself some). I have been giving her a slightly larger portion than normal given she hasn't eaten during the day but am not sure whether I am supposed to effectively give her a double portion (i.e. lunch and dinner in the one bowl) as I have always been nervous of too much in one go. I am pretty much judging by sight as she doesn't look like she is losing any weight, her ribs feel the same, and my rationale is that the exercise output is also lower. Any advice on this greatfully received. Fran, thanks for the link to the cool coat, I've emailed them for some sizing advice.

[Jennifer Martin]

Have to say Rio is finding the heat a bit much, I have been keeping him cool with damp towel's, just put it over him when he laid down and he went to sleep - also put the fan to blow cool over him. Have kept him indoors as much as possible, had all the curtains drawn to keep the sun out and the house cool, he seems quite happy.
Think if you leave them to their own devices they can run themselves silly and overheat, Rio at almost a year old is quite happy to lay around relaxing just so long as we are near. Also find a cool shower and play with the hosepipe helps!.

[Sue and Cash]

I waited till 7ish to get him out to the woods and he did get a good 40 minutes of playtime in with a few other brave souls. I splashed water on his back and head and he seemed okay. It was still 88 degrees at that hour. Only two more days to go before it regulates to a more normal spring temp. Someone asked if our electricity is high in the US. I think it is! I know in a hot July or August it can run me near $300.00 for a month. Off season is about $70.00. I saw a cool collar on a lab last night that you soak in water and put in the freezer and it seemed to keep him cooler than the other dogs were. I will have to look around online. I know I also saw these scarves for me and the dog that also give you about an hour of cooling. Now the mosquitos are another subject! I mean biting me not Cash, he uses Advantix and it seems to keep them away from him.

[Dixie Cruise]

Wow ... Chicago. I just LOVE that city. I was born in Illinois (Champaign) but never got to Chicago until just a few years ago ... took my son on an overnight train trip so he could experience the sleeper car. We chose the city purely for the convenient distance for that train trip ... WOW! I was blown away. What a beautiful place. But yes, even though I was four when we moved to Virginia, I still remember the summer heat. I love the idea of giving your dog a nice (often needed) bath right before the walk so the dog can air dry and stay reasonably cool for a mid-day exercise opportunity. Any chance dogs are allowed in Lake Michigan or the fountains in Grant Park?!!