Do you walk your dogs in this heat?

[Acolyte]

My dogs are trying to bully me into taking them for a walk tonight, but it is so hot still that I know they will be unhappy and overheat when they are out walking

They appear to have no common sense and wont go into the river to cool off even!

Tomorrow I can walk them in the morning when it is cooler, but do you walk your dogs in the heat? Am I just being mean to them by not taking them out?

 

[GinaB]

I walk them either early morning or late on when it has cooled down. Tina feels the heat quite badly.

 

[Acolyte]

That what I was waiting for, but it doesnt seem to be cooling down tonight

I think they will be waiting until morning

 

[maddielove]

Poor puppy was absolutely sweating in his crate this lunchtime when I came home.
He enjoys going out when it's warm because the breeze when he runs gets under his coat freshening him up

 

[woolly]

Not mean at all we took ours out at 0400-0600 and 8-11pm in the hot weather.

 

[Foxyfilly]

Mine have just had a quick walk tonight, no running. There is a very serious condition greys and lurcher can get in the heat.
I've copied this, it's long!

Hyperacute exertional rhabdomyolysis

"For any sighthound owner who isnt aware of this condition as the weather is how it is now you need to read the link below. This is the second most potentially lethal inflicted illness hounds can suffer aside of bloat.

To add be aware that even though the sun isn't shining humidity can also have the same adverse effect on your hound.

If you want to walk your dog when its hot then the ideal time is first thing in the early morning. The ground has not been heated up by being in the sun all day, if you walk in the cooler evening bear in mind the heat coming up from the ground even though the air will feel cooler to you, your hound's body is much closer to the ground with more surface area exposed to ground heat than your own.

What also needs pointing out is that HER is NOT just heat and humidity affected!!! HER can strike dogs at ANY time simply by over excercising. Greyhounds are very prone to the condition and there by default are lurchers. Allowing unfit dogs to chase bunnies, hares, run to hard off leash with other dogs etc can put them all at risk at anytime. If you have any concerns that after off leash excercise your dog seems unduly tired check it out with a vet, the condition can escalate as age progresses etc. Greyhounds are athletes short distance dogs and being allowed to continuously run or play off leash on all walks can be a huge contribuiting factor."

http://www.gcnm.org/heatstroke.html

Heatstroke in Greyhounds:
What You Need to Know
By Judy Kody Paulsen, Founder
(Excerpt from Spring/Summer 2007 issue of GCNM News)
I am grateful for the help of Suzanne Stack, DVM, in preparing this article. Dr. Stack is a 1985 Ohio State graduate currently practicing near her home in Yuma, Arizona. Previously, she served as a State Racing Board Veterinarian in Wisconsin and as a track vet in Texas at Valley Greyhound Park. Dr. Stack worked closely with Arizona Adopt a Greyhound (AAGI) for a number of years and still volunteers with that group.

The relative lack of information on canine heat-related and exertional ailments is alarming, considering how common the occurrence is among dogs of all breeds, particularly greyhounds. Not surprisingly, there is contradictory information on how to handle these sometimes fatal catastrophes.

Racing greyhounds are finely-tuned athletes and are usually conditioned by professional trainers. A racer’s performance while training and racing is (or should be) closely monitored. The onset of heatstroke or another debilitating and potentially life-threatening muscle disorder called hyperacute exertional rhabdomyolysis (HER) are two things no trainer wants to see.

Varying degrees of heat/exertional illness require specific treatment approaches to avoid permanent damage to muscle fibers, kidneys, and other organs. An experienced greyhound trainer has the expertise to recognize when a greyhound has been afflicted with one of these medical crises and knows the urgency in administering appropriate treatment.

Once the greyhound has left the racing environment and is lucky enough to be adopted, there are still numerous perils to which the dog may be exposed. One of the most common, yet least considered dangers, is that of over-exertion.

Well-meaning adopters want to give their greyhounds freedom to run and exercise, but it must be understood that unlike humans, dogs do not possess the ability to gauge their fitness and adjust their level of effort accordingly. Retired racers, depending on how long they’ve been off the track and how compromised their physical health might be, are at serious risk for experiencing critical problems when allowed to over-exert themselves.

Both hyperacute exertional rhabdomyolysis and heatstroke can kill a greyhound, particularly an unfit one. Physical effects can vary, but these two urgent conditions can show similar signs, including heavy panting; generalized muscle pain as evidenced by showing sensitivity to touch; muscle tremors; cardiac arrhythmia; a tendency to drag the hind legs or collapse; and extreme difficulty in changing position from standing to lying or vice versa. Treatment for both these maladies is basically the same, but the key is to administer it quickly.

Immediate, appropriate therapy is vital to the dog’s recovery. The body temperature must be brought down as quickly as possible. Rapid cooling can be accomplished with hosing down the dog, applying cool wet towels over the body, and exposure to a fan or air conditioning in house or car. Try to avoid producing a shivering response as this can create more heat in the body.

Transport the dog to a veterinarian as soon as possible and be sure to inform the vet’s office you are on the way with a dog in severe distress from apparent heatstroke. They can then prepare the necessary items for treatment.

The possibility of resulting bleeding disorders will require appropriate medications and, if available, frozen plasma. Not all vet’s offices will have plasma, although an emergency vet clinic is more likely to have this on hand.

IV fluids should be administered as soon as possible to prevent the onset of shock and to aid in flushing the kidneys of harmful byproducts leaking from damaged muscles. In researching this article, it is evident there is some disagreement over what solution is best for the IV. Some veterinarians feel .9% sodium chloride (normal saline) is adequate, while others feel it is prudent to use an electrolyte combination solution.

The effects of heatstroke or HER are not corrected in one day at the vet’s office. In-patient care is necessary for proper treatment and recovery. Several weeks of rest at home may be required for convalescence. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication should help reduce muscle inflammation and subdue the pain. Antibiotics may be recommended by your veterinarian to prevent secondary infection.

Given the greyhound’s purpose as a performance dog and the conditions under which they are trained, raced, confined, and transported, it is safe to assume many racers have experienced one or more episodes of heat/exertional ailments. These dogs may then have a predisposition for future episodes of similar illnesses and likely will have compromised kidneys and other organs. Consequently, great care should be taken to protect them from over-exertion and heat-related illness.

The following are some of the risk factors for heatstroke published in The 5-minute Veterinary Consult by Larry Tilley, DVM and Francis W.K. Smith, Jr., DVM: Previous history of heat-related disease; age extremes; heat intolerance due to poor acclimatization; obesity; poor cardiopulmonary conditioning; hyperthyroidism; underlying cardiopulmonary disease; dehydration.

Anecdotal reports from adopters whose greyhounds have experienced heat- or exertion-related episodes suggest that adopters need to be better informed of the dangers of allowing their retired racers free reign to run, particularly in hot, humid conditions. Obese greyhounds will be especially susceptible to the effects of over-exertion. Even on cold days, given the right conditions, a greyhound can collapse from over-exertion.

Extreme excitability in greyhounds, even while on a leash or in a fenced yard, can produce a combination of life-threatening factors which require immediate intervention by at least cooling the dog down and eliminating the stimulus (think high-prey-drive greyhound on a leash as a rabbit runs by!).
People who report coming home to a dead or dying dog should take into consideration the environment when evaluating the cause. Broken air conditioners on hot days, lack of shade outdoors, excessive excitement or exertion (possibly running the fence line with another dog), absence of water to drink – these factors can kill a dog or take them to the brink of death. Hot, humid conditions are by far the most deadly.

The frequency with which adopters report greyhounds “dropped dead from a heart attack,” when no previous indications of heart problems existed, suggests that death by heatstroke or HER may not be so uncommon. Only necropsy can identify the likely cause of death.

Close supervision of retired racing greyhounds’ exercise routines, particularly those new to their homes, should be recommended to all adopters. Greyhounds who appear to tire quickly, pant excessively, and/or appear to be reluctant to move after exercise, should be limited to mild or moderate exercise and then, only under supervision.

Close attention to heat and humidity in the environment is paramount in protecting a vulnerable greyhound from heatstroke or HER. A conditioning program similar to that of a human athlete (gradual increase in intensity of workouts) should be implemented before allowing retired racers to engage in physical activities which substantially increase heart rate and respiration.

Greyhounds lucky enough to have been placed in a loving adoptive home deserve to have more than food, shelter, and attention. Responsible guardianship of retired racers includes being armed with the knowledge to protect them from the hidden dangers that await these athletes once they leave the tracks and training farms. A few precautions and observations can save your greyhound’s life

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[Acolyte]

Thanks for telling me about that, I have never come across that before! Islay is still being walked on a lead all the time atm, and Talisker is not a great one for running around much, but I will be very careful from now on

 

[random_rider]

Yeah, but only around the 20min block and she was quite tired, wont take her that far again. But mom and dad walked her about 7, they took her too some shaded woods and she loved it

 

[dun_in]

Three five minute walks scattered throughout the day. Plus lots of visits to the garden.

 

[sevenoceans]

The heat affects boris badly. I tend to walk him early (long) and late(short) but by the time it has cooled down Boris is fast asleep!

I am lucky to live by the sea, we get sea breeze and water, he loves swimming in the sea and lakes. I also walk him where's there is water if i can't take him early morning.

I don't play ball in the heat as it involves fast running and it will over exhaust him.

 

[PapaFrita]

Our dogs bomb around whatever the weather. They usually regret it though!

 

[Enfys]

I don't even walk my dogs when the temperature is the other end of the scale.

They have free range of the farm to do as they like, generally if one of us steps out of the door they are not far behind us.

It has been over 30C today and they have spent all day either in the barn or half underground in their scrapes that they dig in the garden (I have two GSDs and a Bouvier type cross) They don't wake up and start bouncing about until dark. When it's heading towards -30C they run about like lunatics all the time they don't feel the cold.

 

[Baggybreeches]

I only ever walk my dogs in the morning, I found the ritual bullying (mental torture of the jumping about and being ridiculous) in the evening too much to bear! They faff about with OH in the field at night, so they are not short of exercise.

 

[Acolyte]

[ QUOTE ]
I only ever walk my dogs in the morning, I found the ritual bullying (mental torture of the jumping about and being ridiculous) in the evening too much to bear! They faff about with OH in the field at night, so they are not short of exercise.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am SO glad it isnt just my dogs who try and bully me into taking them out.... it drives me MAD

Every time I stand up/go to the porch and put a pair of shoes on/go to lock the back door they are both jumping around squeaking and doing circuits around the room

I vary their walks all the time - sometimes mornings, sometimes evenings, sometimes both, sometimes not at all - but it never stops them

Even after two hours on the Malvern hills, with them both flaked out exhausted on the way home, they were bouncing around 5 mins after we got home

 

[GinaGem]

Bes got 20 mins last night, i cut it short as she was getting warm

 

[ShadowFlame]

I walk my dog every day regardless of the weather, she'd be miserable being kept in despite her not being an overly energetic breed. Obviously, I walk early in the morning and late in the evening - I don't see any reason not to take them out?

 

[Baggybreeches]

I assume you live in a normal house? I live in a large plot of land and my dogs have 2 acres (plus a huge pond) to galavant around, but they would prefer to sit on the sofa with OH unless he is doing something fascinating (whatever it is they all find so interesting?)

 

[Oneofthepack]

They nag me stupid until I do take them so I tend to wait 'til 6 ish when the sun's low and there's some shade from the hedges and take them to the field for a play and sniff around rather than the usual 3/4 hour route march

 

[echodomino]

I'll take mine swimming in this weather because obviously they're cooler and it's good exercise but I tend not to walk them in it if I can avoid it, if I cant (work some rather peculiar shifts) then it's just a quick potter around the stables

 

[prose]

Obviously it gets very hot here during summer. On the worst days (95-100 degrees--which it has been since last Saturday) I get Stella to the park at 7.30am, and she is fine running around at that time. I do a quick fifteen-minute jobbie in the middle of the day and a trip to our local dog run at 10am, when she's happy to run around some more.

On Saturday, before she got sick, we were in CT with my SIL's dog. Stella was fine playing in the back garden, and just hopped into the kiddie pool whenever she needed to cool off.

If it's in the 80s, that's a different matter. She's absolutely fine to walk and play in those temperatures, which is odd considering that smush-faced breeds aren't supposed to enjoy the heat. I guess she's used to it. Oh, and our apartment has great air-conditioning and ceiling fans, which helps keep her--and us!--comfortable at all other times.

 

[Tia]

I hardly ever walk my dogs; mine have the same freedoms as Enfys' dogs; where they have free run of the farm and they can do what they like.

Mine do play even in the silly hot temperatures we have been having here, however they do get hosed down and they all have their earth dens to lie in which keeps them cool.

Mine will still come with me when I go off-a-wandering around the farm, regardless of how hot or cold it is.