JohnF Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 I was walking Peggy yesterday up a gentle south-facing slope on the open Moor and the sun was just over half-way up the sky. Her black coat got really hot to the touch, she started panting, statued, and clearly didn't want to go any further with the walk. Luckily some clouds soon blocked the sun, but I still didn't go much further in case it came out again. But it's only April, I'm in England, and the mid afternoon air temperature hadn't even reached 60F. She's 9 and a half years old now so I don't expect her to be as heat-tolerant as before. Do I need to get her a lightweight reflective coat; are they even any good? Obviously in the real summer she won't be taken out in the middle of the day, and I carry a spritzer bottle and keep to mostly shaday area, but I've not had this issue in spring before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 That doesn't sound normal to me. That's not hot. When is the last time she had a check up? Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbotaina Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 I've got one that gets hot super quick. He's black and in 50 degree weather, he's panting. I did get him one of those reflective coats. Not sure if it helps much or not, though they do get good reviews in general. My husband refuses to use it on him (it's a bit...disco-looking) and he's the one who does the morning walks. The one I got was from Clean Run and they specialize in agility stuff, so have an interest in keeping dogs cool. Maybe you can find something similar in the UK? Quote Meredith with Heyokha (HUS Me Teddy) and Crow (Mike Milbury). Missing Turbo (Sendahl Boss), Pancho, JoJo, and "Fat Stacks" Juana, the psycho kitty. Canku wakan kin manipi."Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted April 3, 2017 Author Share Posted April 3, 2017 That doesn't sound normal to me. That's not hot. When is the last time she had a check up? Only a few weeks ago. It was solar radiation that made her very hot to the touch on her back and the sun side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LazyBlaze Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 (edited) Blaze has one of those silver reflective coats as he's rubbish in any sort of heat at all; he just can't handle it. We're in the UK too and I think Blaze would struggle in a similar situation to Peggy. It doesn't take much. Anyway the reflective coat does seem to help a little bit, his fur feels less hot to the touch under the jacket than it does without it, but it's by no means a cure-all. He still does not enjoy the heat so we tend to just try to avoid it, sticking to shady woodland on sunny days and the like. Edited to add: we're in Scotland, so too much sun is rarely a major problem! Edited April 4, 2017 by LazyBlaze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted April 4, 2017 Author Share Posted April 4, 2017 Blaze has one of those silver reflective coats as he's rubbish in any sort of heat at all; he just can't handle it. We're in the UK too and I think Blaze would struggle in a similar situation to Peggy. It doesn't take much. Thanks: I think I'll try one of those reflective coats... A friend pointed out something to me today .... that April 3rd is like September 8th in terms of the angle of the sun and being on a big south-facing hill in the open makes it a lot worse. I know it can be too strong for Peggy at that end of summer, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised. I've put the reflective window shade back in the car now too. Wake up call for everyone ... the sun outside of winter doesn't care what the air temperature is and will heat up a black dog uncomfortably fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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