How to look after a dog in this heat

Have you got a fan? We used to put it on the floor so he got the full benefit from it. He also had a cool mat which he spent his life on when the temperature got slightly above freezing😄.

He was a terrier and once the temperature rose above 15 he felt uncomfortable.

I know at one time we had a westie and in the days when we would easily walk 10-12 miles we overdid it and had to carry him home in the heat. - well back to our caravan. Where we put him into the shower and gave him a tepid shower which soon bucked him up.

Hi, I'm looking after a small dog atm for neighbours who are away for a few days too. I'm an experienced dog walker/sitter.

So firstly it's way too hot to do anything with dogs during the day atm, due to the fact they cannot cool down the way we do.

So do not take out in car or walks whilst it's over 24 degrees.

I would get an old towell and wet it with cold water and place somewhere on your kitchen floor in the shade if you can, so that the dog can cool down.

Or you could spray with the hose to cool her down.

She might also just be too hot hence not eating or drinking much but important water is available to her.

Windows best closed in the day and blinds down.
Open windows at night to cool a house down.

You can google advice aswell, but tbh as long as you are keeping her cool, she'll be fine.

Yes could you pop her into a tepid shower - that will do the trick as she will stay damp for quite a while,

We walk early and late if it's over 28.

We bathe her after walks, we keep her inside. Water available.

I freeze yogurt (or kefir) mixed with a little honey in individual portions and give it to our boy as a wee treat to help cool him down.

My pup is being a bit picky with his food in this heat. Ceiling fans on in living room and conservatory and lots of fresh water sometimes with ice cubes added. DGD sprayed him with hose which he loved and he has plenty of shade to choose from. Early morning walk and missed evening walk because it was still 29 at 9 o’clock last night and I didn’t feel comfortable going out later. It could be also that your house guest is missing his family. Dogs can be very sensitive to change, so combine that with our unusual heat wave he’s probably feeling a bit sorry for himself 🐶. I used to wet an old towel, ring it out and drape it over my old Labrador who also suffered in the heat. Eating a little less for a few days won’t hurt him so don’t worry.

I hold an ice cube for mine to lick. She really enjoys it and it seems to cool her down. My DH call me Ironhands because I can hold the ice without complaining.

Thanks for the advice. I had bought a cool mat this morning but she hasn’t lain on it yet. I have put a damp towel on the kitchen floor as suggested so maybe she will find that. As for food, DH just offered her a bit of cheese and she refused that - very unusual!

Always cool the feet first because that's where dogs perspire and cool down. Never use very cold water. And don't cover with a wet towel for any length of time because that traps in the heat and raises body temperature. Maybe boil a bit of chicken in water to encourage drinking more or add a bit of goats milk to the water.