[Dailydrool] Too Hot!!!!

[Beverly Szaton]

My Bassets turn off at 80 degrees. My Belgian at 70. At 80 degrees out
on a humid day, I worry. I make sure the dogs are parked in the shade
or have a shade over them, and have ventilation and TONS of water. I
keep ears, feet and bellies wet until just before ring time. I would
never work one for any length of time and then expect performance in
the ring on a hot day. It is 70 here today, sunny and very windy. I
was thinking about walking with Cooper and then I thought nope-- too
hot. He hasn't been out for quite awhile, and he isn't acclimated to
the heat yet. Later this summer, 70 will be ideal, but not now.

If your dog overheats, (I am preaching to the choir) cool him off
slowly. Don't start by dumping him in cold water. Start with warm
water and lower it gradually. Keep a thermometer handy and take his
temp every 5 minutes or so. Once the temp has dropped to about 103.5
or so you can stop hosing him off and put a fan on him in a cool,
quiet, shady spot. Or
turn the A/c on in your car, start low, work to high. Normal temp for
dogs is 101 to 102.5 or so.

There is a thermometer you can buy, probably from your Vet but lemme
look and see what the company is. It is an LED thermometer that
registers (rectally, sorry) in TEN SECONDS.
I have probably related the story of taking Mitchell's temp with the
new LED thermometer when they first came out. This one took 3 minutes
and every time it went up a degree over normal (it was a human
thermometer) it beeped. Poor Mitchell!! Not only did I have this thing
stuck in his butt, but why was his butt beeping? Every time it beeped
he tried to turn all the way around to look at his butt. I was
laughing so hard i never did get a temp on him, I don't think.

MomPerson to Nigel, Llewis, Mitchell, Zelda and Cooper