05/22/2024
Hey y’all! Looks like fair enough weather is predicted over the next week or so, but as an 🐕 Important Reminder 🐕: some dog breeds have a much harder time in the heat, and may adjust more slowly to summer! If you’re the proud parent of a Boston terrier, boxer, bulldog (all varieties), or densely double-coated breed (longer haired huskies, malamutes, st. Bernard’s, Akitas, chows, Pekingese as examples) and are keeping them outside during the day, take care to keep fresh water available and provide at least one shade spot. 🙂 If they don’t have a shade spot yet, there are many cheap ways of setting one up, and it can make all the difference in keeping your pups healthy, happy, and longer lived! (For those of you who use Amazon, a search for human or dog shade canopies, beach tents, etc. will turn up plenty of more affordable options. Alternatively, even tacking an old blanket or tarp up to a fence corner can work wonders!) Grass or other green ground cover also help keep ambient temps a bit lower, as opposed to gravel, dirt and sand. Dogs having issues in the heat may not show immediate signs of excess body temperature or sun over-exposure harming their health, so prevention is key in our opinions! And all this applies to mixes as well, not just pure/identifiable breeds.
Another note: if you’re the new owner of a herding breed (border collies specifically, but also Aussies, heelers, sheepdogs and shepherds), these breeds can experience acute problems (border collie collapse, ‘heat collapse,’ or seizures) with high body temperature without warning — a problem that’s seemingly genetic in origin, and can manifest at any stage of life. If these dogs behave with lethargy or apparent motor issues on especially hot days, try to find extra ways to keep them cool and consider talking to your vet or other owners of the breed about solutions for the problem.
Grooming with a good de-shed for double-coated dogs can help tremendously in keeping them cooler, but it’ll only truly help if the more important shade spots/water are kept in mind. Those high 100+ summer temps are coming soon to a backyard near you! 🤪