Heating up this July-Lets cool things off!

As temperatures start to climb, we start looking for ways to cool ourselves down.  The same challenges of overheating affect our dogs and livestock.

So, what are some things you might consider keeping your dog healthy and happy.

1.      During the hot months we add extra water buckets to our kennels.  In the afternoon, these buckets are dumped, and fresh water is added.  Just like us, our dogs will not drink warm to hot water as well as cool refreshing water when it is hot outside.

2.       If your dog is an outside dog, consider adding misters and fans to kennels.  The easiest way to add the misters is to buy a patio system that you just must hang.  However, we find these are easy for the dogs to tear up and prefer building one out of PVC.  You can get the couplings off of amazon (hard to find at hardware stores) and then just glue together with sections of PVC.  This is also a great project for kids to learn how to do some basic plumbing.   At our kennels we added a filtration system and a turn off valve since they are plumbed into our water supply, but you can add a hose connection as well.

If dog stays outside but not in a kennel, adding a large bucket of water or a kiddie pool will allow them to cool off as well.

3.      Tracking early in the morning or late in the evening are your best solutions for keeping the dog from overheating.  We also keep a large bucket of water in the track and allow dogs to jump in water between sets.  If you notice your dog is slowing down after several sets, you might give him a short break before finishing tracking if it is an extremely warm day.

4.   If dogs are in kennels or turned out in the yard, make sure they have ample shade.  This seems like a given, but when the sun moves, it could eliminate the nice shady spot the dog likes to rest in. 

5.  If dog does overheat, please immediately get the dog to the vet.  They will need to administer fluids as quickly as possible.   Signs of overheating including dog just laying down and not wanting to get up.  Dog looking dazed or confused.  Excessive panting or rapid breathing, increased heart rate, bright red gums or tongue or even drooling more than usual.

       Lastly, our dogs are our investment but also our loves.  They deserve our attention and help to get through the challenges like weather that we nor them can control.  They will give us their all out of their devotion to us, so let’s in turn do what we can to love them back.