[Hambonez]

We are expecting some unseasonably warm weather this week - mid- to high 90's for two days. We do not have air conditioning, except a window unit in the bedroom. Are there any special considerations or concerns for the dog being in the house all day in the heat? There are windows and a fan in "his" room, and other than overnight in his crate, he always has access to water, but I'm used to having cats who will just go hang out in the basement if it's too warm upstairs.

 

[ben00x]

It's been crazy hot so far this summer. If you're in NY, you're probably getting the weather we just had in michigan the past couple of days. Yesterday was sticky humid and 92 degrees! Make sure he has access to the fan. My dog will lay in front of a big box fan we have on the floor when he's hot. I give him ice cubes too if it's hot - especially if we just got back from a walk.

 

[Amaryllis]

Yup, 93 and above in PA, too.

I'm putting down extra water bowls, one extra in the house, one in the basement (he rarely goes down there) and one on the deck in case he gets accidentally locked out there. I'm leaving fans on, too.

If your dog does get too hot, get him to lay belly down in a tub or kiddy pool of cold water. You especially want to get the groin area cool, because major blood vessels are close to the surface there. Do not use ice, that will cause the vessels to clamp shut and they won't transfer the cooled blood around the body. If the dog won't willingly lay in the water, use towels soaked in cold water.

Signs of overheating in dogs:

Profuse and rapid panting
Bright red tongue
Thick drooling saliva
Wide eyes with a glassy look
Lack of coordination
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Coma

(Um . . . I would hope "coma" is one of those things a dog owner would just automatically assume is bad.)

 

[kafkabeetle]

We finally started using the air conditioner (which we never do) because it got too bad out. When it was really hot Sydney spent most of her time under our spare bed, where I assume it's cooler. I've been adding water to her food and leaving out an extra, larger bucket of water to make sure she's never without it. Unfortunately she doesn't like it in front of fans. She'll move somewhere else if it's ever blowing on her. Weirdo.

 

[Hambonez]

(Um . . . I would hope "coma" is one of those things a dog owner would just automatically assume is bad.)

You'd hope but, considering the types of dog owners we've all seen... hmmm...

We have a play group tomorrow afternoon and it's indoors with a/c, so hopefully it will be cool enough that he can get his energy out safely! (The trainer says it takes a few days of sweltering temps before it gets uncomfortable in there, so I HOPE it will be ok!) Otherwise we're just going to lay as low as you can with a 6 m/o pup!

 

[Hambonez]

We finally started using the air conditioner (which we never do) because it got too bad out. When it was really hot Sydney spent most of her time under our spare bed, where I assume it's cooler. I've been adding water to her food and leaving out an extra, larger bucket of water to make sure she's never without it. Unfortunately she doesn't like it in front of fans. She'll move somewhere else if it's ever blowing on her. Weirdo.

We only have a window unit for the bedroom, and the cats will actually NOT sleep in there with the a/c on! They like laying just outside the door flat to the floor - I guess some cold air comes under the door, and that's enough for them? I don't know. My life would be so much easier if they could talk.

 

[ChaosIsAWeim]

Yeah it has been hot here too, we were at the vets making an appointment and picking up some stuff, and a lady was rushing her frenchie in with possible heat stroke, so yeah it's been bad today. We got a little rain so that cooled it down a bit.

We always have cool fresh water in the house. We have AC, so it stays cool in our house. We also have fans that we can use. I limit my dogs time outside as well during the hottest parts of the day.

You know those rubber like chamois that are used on cars, those are actually very good for keeping dogs cool, just have to soak them in cool water and put it over your dog when he is being still. I have a ton of them that we take to dog shows during the summer. The absorber is the one we use.

 

[UF Girl]

Growing up in Florida and now living in Alabama, I wouldn't know what to do with out AC.

The previous owner turned an enclosed porch into a sun room that is now the "dog room". It doesn't have central air but it has a wall unit in there that we leave on. I also turn the ceiling fan on and each dog has a bucket of water in their cage (which are left open) and there is an extra bowl in the room. Just in case anything ever happened and the ac unit shut off I want them to have air circulation and lots of water since without that room could go well over 100 degrees F.

 

[Hambonez]

Growing up in Florida and now living in Alabama, I wouldn't know what to do with out AC.

The previous owner turned an enclosed porch into a sun room that is now the "dog room". It doesn't have central air but it has a wall unit in there that we leave on. I also turn the ceiling fan on and each dog has a bucket of water in their cage (which are left open) and there is an extra bowl in the room. Just in case anything ever happened and the ac unit shut off I want them to have air circulation and lots of water since without that room could go well over 100 degrees F.

I live in upstate NY. There are summers we don't even put the a/c in the bedroom window! It's been an unseasonably warm... year? Barely snowed, got warm really early, very weird! I actually really hate the way a/c feels and sounds, but I know when I'm getting over heated and am able to go cool myself down! Poor Hamilton is just subject to my judgement!

 

[hanksimon]

Yeah, I have friends in upstate who predict 100 degrees. The good news that in Texas where it can get over 100 for months at a time, the dogs do just fine, as long as they have water and can get in the shade. Foolishly, I've been walking my dog everyday for the passed 10+ years, with no ill-effects to either of us. However...

I walk my dog everyday, so he gets conditioned to the heat. When we get short heat spells in Feb. - March, both of us are miserable during the walk.... no conditioning...

My suggestions:
1. Have cool water available all the time. You might include ice cubes.
2. Keep an oscillating fan going continuously. Circulating air, even hot air is important.
3. Open two windows for cross-ventilation ... and get a window fan, if possible.
4. You might get some thing (muslin or burlap) cloth, wet it, and put it in the way of the fan, but not totally blocking. In comparatively dry climates, this works like a swamp cooler.
5. My Vet suggested that I soak my shirt and my dog when we walk in mid-summer... It works, but then we go into air conditioning.

Additional:
A hot water bottle, filled with ice water... as long as you can trust the dog not to chew on it.
An inexpensive beach chair, as a place for the dog to sleep, to allow air to flow underneath.
Non carpeted flooring, mopped to make lightly damp, with a fan blowing over.
I think you can get a cheap A/C window unit for a few hundred bucks...


OR... come down to Texas where we have A/C, and cool off !

 

[UF Girl]

I live in upstate NY. There are summers we don't even put the a/c in the bedroom window! It's been an unseasonably warm... year? Barely snowed, got warm really early, very weird! I actually really hate the way a/c feels and sounds, but I know when I'm getting over heated and am able to go cool myself down! Poor Hamilton is just subject to my judgement!

My dogs go lay on the tile in the bathrooms, that is usually when I know I need to turn the air down some.

It's funny, I read articles on HW and flea and tick prevention an it will talk about only needing it during certain months because of the seasons, and I am like "what are seasons?" We have hot and humid and hotter and humider and it's always HW, flea and tick prevention season.

This year we too had a very mild winter and I am terrified it's going to be a horrible tick year because it never got cold enough for them to die off.

Just make sure he has lots of water. Once and only once, I forgot to turn the AC on in the dog room and I came home to find two dogs looking like hell. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with them until I opened the door. I apologized for days and felt like the worst dog owner ever. They survived but 95% of their water was gone and normally they don't go through 10% of what I leave for them.

 

[Hambonez]

This is our first year with a dog, but we first got snow in October last year, and last got snow at the end of February, and still get frosts all through March. I remember several Easters driving to my grandparents-in-law's house while it snowed. We probably can go at least 5 months without flea/tick prevention.

So far... well, it's hot!! It was so hot downstairs that we sat up in the a/c'd bedroom for a while, but Hamilton just wanted to run around and be a pest. We took him to playgroup and it was pretty comfortable there, though a little warm, and he ran around for a while and got most of his energy out (Thank God!) I've been periodically misting him with water while he lays on the couch under the fan. He's panting when he's awake, which he doesn't usually do, but overall is perky and doesn't seem to understand why we can't just go out and play!! I had him out running around early this morning and I'll do the same tomorrow. Trying to decide if we want to let him sleep in bed in the a/c tonight. He usually sleeps downstairs in his crate, and the cats sleep in bed, but they aren't allowed when the a/c is on because they hate the closed door and just ask to come in and out all night. One more day of this!

 

[hanksimon]

Dogs will go crazy with just a 20 degree drop in temperature. Also, especially where it gets hot, dogs get tired, not b/c they are 'fatigued,' but b/c they are 'overheated' ... and when they cool off they may be ready to go again.

When I take my dog for his afternoon walks in 90 - 100+ degree weather, he drinks a lot when we come back, and then rests for about 30 min. in a/c ... or maybe a little longer before he's ready to go again...

For those folks who are being newly introduced to 'extreme' heat, rather than fully coccooning and hiding, I suggest that you very slowly acclimate to the heat, taking a 5 - 15 min. walk after 6 pm, preferably in partial shade, building up to a full 30 min. If you do this, you may need a hat, and you do need a place to cool off with a fan and cross-ventilation (the old Beach houses), or air conditioning for about 30 min. Most dogs enjoy the chance to get out.

If you feel miserable from the heat, especially without air conditioning, then after you've cooled off from exercise, or just to cool off from the misery, consider a 10 min. warm shower. When you towel off, you will feel lots better... and might consider doing this before bed.

 

[Hambonez]

He slept in bed with us and was happy as a clam. He spent most of the night under the covers at my feet, and didn't want to get up for his walk this morning, which is way different than when he's crated. He is ready to go at 6:30! I think we'll need to keep this in mind on the weekends when we want to sleep in!!

Today seems less hot than yesterday. The humidity is less, and some air is moving. I don't think it's worth working towards getting acclimated to heat since we only get heat like this in short bursts. It's supposed to be back in the 70's again next week. We'll just take the panic-coping approach!

 

[hanksimon]

Understood, I'm experienced only with bursts of freezing cold ... but months of increasingly hot weather.....

 

[UF Girl]

Understood, I'm experienced only with bursts of freezing cold ... but months of increasingly hot weather.....

Now this I understand.

 

[dagwall]

My A/C finally died around the middle of May but it wasn't so bad outside and just a little warm in the house. Right around Memorial weekend we had a heat front come through with temps in the upper 90s and the house was horribly hot. I got to miss out on the worst of it as I was down visiting my parents but my brother and Jubel were stuck in it. We kept windows open and made use of cross-breezes to keep it as cool as possible and lots of ice cubes for Jubel. Before we got the A/C unit replaced I ended up spending a few nights sleeping on the floor in the basement because I can't sleep in the heat.

If A/C isn't an option just do the best you can to keep the house as cool as possible, lots of cool water available to drink, give ice cubes to help cool off, and try and go for your walks early in the morning and in the early evening when it's not so hot out. We've hit 100º the last few days here with the heat index over 100 (gotta love humidity), very thankful to have my A/C bad or I'd be dying myself in this heat.

 

[NozOnyCalAur]

My husband and I are sissies, we've had the a/c on since May. We try to go as long as possible without a/c because of the high electric bill that usually accompanies it, but this year it was in the 90's at the end of April and it gets terribly hot in the house. We've no ceiling fixtures and if we had ceiling fans it would probably help a lot.

 

[workerant]

I wonder if you could rig a swamp cooler for your dog's crate. Take a towel, soak it in water and wring it out just enough that it doesn't drip on the floor. Drape it over your dog's crate and aim a fan at it (at the towel, not the uncovered crate door). The fan should accelerate evaporation, which should cool the area around and beneath it. Hmm... now I must experiment in case our air conditioner goes toes-up.

 

[dagwall]

Hmm... now I must experiment in case our air conditioner goes toes-up.

Haha we should have been more prepared for the A/C to die than we were because it was the original unit installed when the townhouse was built in '83. But it survived last summer (just bought the house in Feb 2010) and we got complacent, at least it died in the spring before it REALLY got hot.