I Know These Dogs Overheat Quickly, But...

[jaym1]

rocko is all black with white on the tips of everything. he has been panting like a maniac over the last two days, and trips to the dog park in this weather basically mean: sniff, poop, then dig a hole and lay down in it. then groan. luckily he loves water, so i just walk him down to the nearby pond or stream, and he immediately plops down into it. he will remained cooled off for a good half hour after.

Edited April 18, 2012 by jaym1

[Ragsysmum]

Lucky for us it doesn't get that hot here in England but there is no way I would be taking my dogs out in that sort of heat. Once the temps are over 70* we only go out early morning and late evening for walks and the rest of the day they are inside in the cool except for quick toilet breaks out in the garden.

[cleptogrey]

ok, here's a comparison

i have 2 red fawns, their age 8 months apart

felix- has always reacted to playing in the heat-anything warmer than chilly/cool(60s). and when i say always i have had him since he was 7 weeks old. once he learned to really run and play soccer that was it...panting and a long time to cool.as a matter of fact it takes him a while to cool down even in the winter.

annie- a couple of minutes of panting, she cools down and that's it. she too plays soccer- but doesn't run like a man-dog and knows how to conserve her energy. on walks, she never looks hot. and during the winter annie cools down by lying in the snow.

 

felix i hose down starting w/ the underside of his chest, belly and then body. annie stands and returns to her usual cool, calm, collected state. when it get's hot i turn into a vampire and take the dogs out at night. not only is it cooler but the pollen count is down.

[Feisty49]

I chimed in above but want to add that I just got back from our morning walk (at 8:45 AM). The air temp is 37 (what a difference from 2 days ago when it hit 95!) and there is a stiff breeze, which makes it feel colder to me. I'm freezing in my short-sleeved pullover and a spring jacket but no mittens. Annie Bella's happy as a clam, prancing down the sidewalk, kicking up her feet a little because it's not hot. It is sunny, though, and halfway into our walk, she's panting from being warm but still doing a happy walk because it's not 90 degrees. The good thing for me is that when we got home I put my hands in the pits of her back legs to warm them up (I have a mild case of Raynaud's Disease and the cold hurts my hand sooo much). The good thing for her is that it turned into a long belly rub with my fingertips.

[Hubcitypam]

Sorry, the more I read the more I'm fascinaed by this thread. I'm amazed by all the dogs that seem to be overheated between 60 and 70 degrees.

 

It is in such stark contrast to the many threads with people advising newbies "if you need a jacket so does your dog" . I need a jacket in the 60s and here these dogs are panting. Sort of throws that jewel of wisdom out the window. And all the dogs with jammies...I'd doubt many of us keep our homes in the 50s in the winter. It depends on the dog as some are hot or cold natured, but still....if someone was researching greyhounds and read these threads they'd think that greyhounds can only successfully live between 68 and 72 (on a good day).

 

We don't walk in the day when it is in the high 80s or above, in part because I'm not Brithish (only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun), in part because of heat combined with hot sidewalks and in part because Mom doesn't want to.

 

However, every one of my 6 greyhounds (and probably a majority of greys on here) grew up outside on a farm -- four of mine in Kansas and two in western Oklahoma. They grew up outside 24/7/365 in a big run with their littermates. Three came from Abilene, KS farms and when you drive in Abilene there are snow routes, so it must get below freezing and also gets over 100 in the summer, Same around Altus, OK. These dogs have a dog house and wading pool and somehow not only survive but thrive in at least an 80 degree range of weather. Yes, they grow thicker farm coats in the winter and pretty much stay in the pool or under the doghouse when its very hot...they aren't going for long walks.

 

But honestly, if they are overheated at 65 and according to some need jammies at 65 how in they heck did they live to grow up?

[NeylasMom]

Well to be fair I only saw a couple of responses saying their dogs panted in temps that low, but there are factors other than temperature. There's also humidity, medical issues, and the fitness level (and weight) of the dog. If my dog panted when we went outside in low 60 degree weather I would be concerned. I also wouldn't put a coat on my dog at that temperature.

 

I typically only need to be concerned about the potential for Zuri to overheat when we get into the 80's, especially if it's humid and my dogs generally only get coats if it's in the 40's or lower, or raining.

[tammystroops]

my furkids pant hard also. in fact it is very cool today so we left them out in the big yard to run around like idiots! and they did! boy were they panting. I thought maybe they ran around too hard.

 

we only left them out for a few minutes. I brought them in and put the ceiling fans on, and cool them down with lots of water to drink. (which they do drink when I say drink)!!

 

On regular summer days, we have a baby pool which all but 2 will go in it.

we also have the hose hooked up with hot/cold water to use if needed for them

 

 

When we go places like Gettysburg, and it can get very very hot, we put them in the car and just run the car with air on so we are not over doing it for them. (and we wait until later in the evening to walk them if we have too).

sometimes my husband will just stay in the car with them so My daughter and I can enjoy the outlets etc.

[JohnF]

Peggy does not tolerate high heat and I won't let her run hard from when its 65.

I even chose a car for her that had 3 rows of seats so she'd het her own aircon in the back when the last row is folded.

Carry plenty of water. Consider a white cotton sun coat.

[NevadasMom]

Could the panting be from pain & not heat? You mentioned that he will not lay down....perhaps maybe pain? Just a thought....

[Guest GryffinSong]

Gryffin was always a panter. Hot weather or exertion both set him going, and he always seemed to pant forever afterwards, especially after running. Kiesha is completely different. She'll pant, but not excessively, and she recovers VERY quickly. For comparison, a walk that has Kiesha panting moderately hard won't have my Italian greyhounds panting AT ALL.

[Feisty49]

Yah, newbies may be told, "If you need a coat, so does your Grey," but that's advice I didn't buy as a newbie (I adopted Annie Bella last July). I'm a person who is cold when others are warm and cool when others are sweating. That's me, not my dog. It doesn't make sense to transfer my physiological properties to a dog, IMO.

 

In mid Autumn last year, when the night temps dropped into the mid 30s and carried over into early morning, Annie Bella shivered when we went for a walk if she didn't have on a fleece coat. She got used to the weather -- or whatever -- because it didn't take many days/weeks for her to be panting at 35 degrees on a sunny day with her fleece on. Common sense says, "She doesn't need the coat!" I'd remove the coat. As winter started to wane and the sun got higher in the sky, and warmer, she'd be panting halfway through our morning walk and the temp would only be 20 degrees. I'd remove the fleece.

 

People need to use their common sense.

[Guest BrindleBoy]

At this point, I am no longer concerned this is a problem. Indy gets hot, fast, and takes a long time to cool down. So do I. Sometimes I have to sit in front of a fan for 30 minutes after a run, before I can even get in the shower, because if I don't I'll come out of the shower still sweating! He is simply more comfortable in cooler temps, and acclimated to winter FAR better than I expected, him being born & raised in Florida.

 

I think the one poster above had it right: these dogs will react to 90 in April WORSE than they will in July. No time to acclimate yet. I'll of course keep an eye on him, but once he's cooled down, he's normal. A little more tired for the rest of the day, but that is also normal in high temps.

 

Oh, he's not overweight even a little. And he does lay down, as soon as his breathing slows down. I don't see any signs on pain being a factor.

Edited April 19, 2012 by BrindleBoy

[Guest itsagreytlife]

Selah is in very good shape & at a perfect weight. We also adopted her last July (!) & it was super hot & humid here for those next couple of months. I remember walking her at 8:15am and it would already be in low 80's & SO ridiculosly humid! She panted then too but I think she was used to it by then. After much trial & error this past winter, I decided she needed her adorable hot pink fleece when it was 45 degrees & sunny. But if it was overcast she was chilly at 50. With that said, I don't think she minds the cold as much since she enjoys being hosed down with cold water & sitting in cool water. Our neighborhood can get quite windy & when that wind is cold it just rips right thru ya, hence the need for a jacket at 50. I suspect she will acclimate soon to the heat. Heck, our temps are still fluctuating wildly here in the midAtlantic. Curious (and possibly dreading?) what this summer will bring.

Edited April 19, 2012 by itsagreytlife

[Guest Energy11]

My dogs are all Florida dogs, but all seniors. They have ZERO heat tolerance, like me!

 

Once it gets to be about 75, especially with humidity, they will only stay outside for a little while, and forget any walks. They start to pant hard, once the thermostat reaches about 76 or so in the house. I do not skimp on AC, as I HATE heat, and run my AC at 70 or less, once my house reaches 75.

 

We took a trip in early Feb., and Staggerlee heated up badly! He is the oldest, 11.7. It took me a WHILE to get him to calm down after the trip. I do not travel with my dogs in the heat, and don't keep them out in it.

 

Like people, a lot of dogs, especially Greyhounds, don't have a good tolerance for heat and humidity. I would cut the walks down to evenings during the heat, and make them shorter. You dont' want to have your dog heat exhausted or worse yet ... a heat stroke.

 

Heat and humidity can KILL you or your dog. Please be careful.