Overheating in the dog

One dog can handle the heat better than another dog. This depends on the breed, thickness and color of the coat. Dogs with dark coats are often less able to withstand the heat than dogs with lighter fur. Also, dogs with thicker fur suffer from heat faster than a dog with a thinner coat. Losing the heat from the body is different in dogs than in humans. They do not have sweat glands and can only sweat through the tongue and soles of the feet. They try to take away their heat by gassing a lot.

Risks of overheating in dogs

At high temperatures, the dog can get health risks. As soon as your dog does not get rid of its heat, for example, because it is in the bright sun, it can suffer from overheating. If we don't pay close attention, and your dog overheats, this can quickly go wrong. So pay close attention to your dog at high temperatures.

Symptoms of overheating or heat shock

You can recognize a dog that suffers from heat shock by a number of symptoms such as:

• Panting
• Vomiting
• Drool
• Bloody diarrhea.
• Lose coordination or sink through legs
• Feeling warm / elevated temperature

You can check the temperature of your dog at the abdomen, groin, on the inside of his beak between the lips and teeth and in his ears. If your dog has a temperature of 39 degrees, you need to immediately shade it and cool it down. Once your dog has a temperature of 40.5 degrees, the situation can become dangerous.

Life-threatening situation when:

When the dog is limp and his tongue turns blue (on the bottom and side), the situation is life-threatening. In case of symptoms of heat shock, it is important that you immediately take the dog to a cool place and cool for a long time by giving a lot of water. It is important that you cool your dog evenly and not too quickly. For example, you can put a wet cloth over your dog and keep it wet so that it stays cool. If your dog stays in shock for too long, he could die. If you think your dog is suffering from overheating, contact the veterinarian.

Better safe than sorry

To prevent overheating, it is best to give the dog a lot of rest when the weather is warm. Do not walk on the asphalt or sidewalk, this can cause the pillowbeds to burn!

Initially, try to prevent your dog from getting too hot. In hot weather, do not play with the animal or cycle, but let him swim. If swimming is not possible or if your dog does not like swimming, it is important that your dog can lie down in the shade as much as possible. When there is no shade or if the shade does not cool down, a cooling bandana,dog vest or dog bed is also an option. Don't leave your dog in the car in hot weather, even if the car is in the shade. Within 10 minutes it can get so hot in the car that your dog does not survive. Your dog's blood count can change too quickly due to the heat, which can cause internal bleeding and a coma itself.

Drink water, it is very important!

It is very important that your dog drinks enough water when the weather is warm outside. So give him enough drinking water and check that he actually drinks well. Drinking is a lot more important than eating in hot weather.