Keep your dog cool

Those of us with dogs constantly worry if they are warm enough in the Winter or cool enough in the Summer. Short haired dogs can get hot in the high heat and humidity especially in the sunlight. The sun shines through their fur and warms the skin. Long haired dogs have some protection from the sun but high temperatures take their toll on them as well.  There are a few things you can do to keep them as comfortable as possible. Obviously a shady spot goes a long way in keeping them cool but if you understand how a dog keeps himself cool, you can help them shed some of that heat. Dogs don’t sweat like we do. When we sweat, the water evaporates from our skin, cooling our blood and cooling us.  Dogs do sweat a little between their paws but it does little to keep them cool. Dogs use their tongue to cool their bodies. Everyone has seen panting dogs. You may have noticed that on hot days, their tongues hang out more than usual and looks wider too. Rapid panting moves air over the tongue, evaporating the water from the tongue and cooling the dog. It doesn’t seem like much, does it? Believe it or not, a tremendous amount of heat is carried out via this process. You may have noticed drops of water falling off the tongue.  A dogs body secretes water through the pours in the tongue and the air moving over the tongue evaporates the water, cooling the tongue which cools the blood, which cools the body.  Knowing this, it’s easy to figure out ways to defeat the heat. A small fan placed on the floor draws dogs like a moth to a light.  Ice cubes in a bowl are not only a good treat, but the ice helps keep your dog cool too. You may have noticed your dog laying flat on his belly on a cool floor. Most dogs have much less fur on their belly and a cool floor draws the heat from their body. If you don’t have tile or hardwood floors, you can try a product called the Cool Bed  http://www.khmfg.com/cool-bed-iii.html                                                                                                                                  This bed is filled with cool water and does wonders cooling a warm dog.   Then there is the Kool Collar.           http://fillmewithice.com/                                                            This product is a collar that is filled with ice and as it melts, it soaks the skin on the dogs chest and helps cool the dog by evaporation.  This works best on dogs with shorter fur but works well on furry dogs too.                  Both of these products are available at the Pet Pantry. Come in and check them out.