Heat in outside temps that is. My dog in question is in a Kennel/ fenced in yard most of the time. 8 year old female GSD/Collier? Does not do well in house due to size, energy level and just in general. Her energy level went down when the temps were around 100. During that time she went off feed slightly. I am considering taking her to the vet, but don’t want to look like an alarmist. So, I am asking her first.
tia,
KH
can’t you bring the dog into the AC of the house during the middle of the day on these hot days? if she’s not house-trained, confine to a mudroom or similar location or provide something like a baby pool of water to cool off in?
my dogs do tend to lose their appetites a bit when it’s hot out.
Yes. As do every other mammal living outside or without a/c in these extreme temperatures.
Heat is nauseating. Be careful to make sure he drinks enough.
18 people in Chicago died two weeks ago due to the heat.
If you have a/c, as a previous poster said, can’t you bring him in for the hottest part of the day? Betcha he will be less of a problem than you think. My cats are dead quiet due to the heat. They just flatten themselves out like pancakes and don’t move.
Is she better at night?
Sightly quiet is probably normal for the heat, but if the dog is normally a good eater I would say that going off food is not normal. If the dog is normally picky, then sure…heat will make us all blah.
Rectal temperatures are important if she is not normal as well, anything over 102.5 is high, and she will need to get out of the heat. If her body temperature reaches 104, this is emergent and she will need active cooling and a trip to the vet. Its amazing how fast the heat can catch up with dogs.
Most do fine outside with proper shade, water etc. (Except bulldogs, they never do well with heat!), but heat stroke can catch up with any breed. Best to be on th safeside and just monitor.
Regardless, if she doesnt perk up in a day or two, a trip to the vet is probably not a bad idea. There could be countless other things going on if she remains off.
She is maybe a little better at night. We have dropped some in temps. She is a also better outside, as she is a pacer in the house. Outside she lays in the grass or goes in her house. I am going to see if her appetite improves in a day. If not off to the vet she goes. I kind of wanted to rule out some things before I went there.
thanks,
Yes, overheating can affect appetite, and as others have suggested, a few hours inside in the ac, perhaps in a kitchen or laundry room would probably help during the heat of the day
Yes, the heat definitely takes away appetite. I’ve noticed it with myself, and my collie mix absolutely eats less in hot weather, even though she spends 99% of her time in a/c. The thread title suggests noticeable weight loss, however, which is more disturbing. In that case, I’d wonder if the effect of the high temperatures was going from a comfort issue to a health problem. At 8, a medium/large dog is close to becoming a senior and is probably getting more sensitive to weather extremes.
You might want to try her back in the house again, if you haven’t done it in a while. Sometimes a dog will have X behavior/issue at one age, you get into the habit of working around that, then they change with age. She may be better inside alone now.
There are some amazing cooling products out there now, too. I got a gel mat this year, and it does stay cool and she does seem to like to lie on it.
http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=313
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