Heat, humidity and dogs were the topics of the online recording I listened to while on hold at my vet yesterday. As a dog walker, I am always really cautious in the heat and humidity with my dogs and any of my client's dogs. I always make certain the dogs don't overdue it in the heat. With some high energy dogs, I stop the playing before they act like they want to but I do it because I don't want them to get overheated.
In this heat and humidity, I also pay attention to the dog's paws when I'm walking them. The pavement can get really hot. The pads on their feet can burn. Some dogs seem to be more sensitive to it than others and I guess that makes sense since they're all created differently.
The message that I heard yesterday while I was on hold was that dogs don't sweat the way we humans do. They aren't able to cool off like we do or as quickly as we do. It went on to say that if you're outside and you're hot, your dog is hotter. That really surprised me.
Unfortunately I know of an instance a few summers ago when a woman I knew was running with her dog. Her dog collapsed on the run and died of heat exhaustion.
I may be overly cautious when I'm with my client's dogs but I want to err on the side of being too careful. You can rest assured when you dogs are being walked by See Spot Run, their safety is our #1 priorty especially in this heat and humidity. I'm not a fan of the heat and humidity either so if a dog seems ready to come inside after doing his business, I am good with that.
Take care of your pets. Keep in mind that you are probably going to need to be the one to know when to stop playing in these extremely hot temperatures.
