HOT, HOT, HOT!!!

The next week or so is going to be treacherously hot. You may be hearing it on the news and other animal pages you follow, but it does not hurt to repeat this warning. Our dogs need to stay cool just like we do!

For Lawrence, KS, we are under an Extreme Heat Watch and the temperature will not be below 90 (mostly upper 90s) for the next 8 days at least.

Please do not leave your dog outside for very long. Do not exercise your dog for very long periods of time - even early morning or late at night when it can still be high 80's, low 90's.  A dogs' normal body temp is higher than ours - 100.5-102.5 degrees F, so they are already higher than a human. Plus they carry a coat and if it is dark, it will be that much warmer.  Their bodies are not as efficient at cooling itself either - only through their paws and panting.

Speaking of their paws - do not walk them on hot surfaces. If you would not walk on hot cement or asphalt, neither should they.

So besides being inside in the air conditioning, how else can we help dogs stay cool?

1. Obviously, ample cold water to drink. 
2. Plenty of shade
3. Limited physical activity
4. Kiddie pool - Titus loves having the pool outside.
5. A cold toy - I put a few rubber toys in a clean ice cream bucket then fill it with water and put it in the freezer. Once it is frozen, I run the outside of the bucket under cool water which allows the big ice chunk to easily fall out on the patio. The dogs love licking it and working their way to the toys.
6. Frozen treats - Spoon all natural pumpkin (No spices) into an ice tray and freeze.  These are healthy, cold treats that are great for their digestive system.
7. Misting fan
8. Obviously the best option is to keep your dog indoors and only allow outside briefly for potty breaks.

So what to do indoors with a dog that needs to burn off energy?

1. Play "Hide & Seek". This is a great way to work on recall. When they find you (or the kids) they can reward with a small treat.
2. Fill a Kong toy (on sale cheap at Amazon) with a treat, all natural pumpkin, yogurt or cottage cheese. This will keep the dog busy for a while while he/she works it out.
3. Kong and Nylabone are the favorite toy brands around here - many are mentally stimulating and almost indestructible.
4. Puzzles - Kong has the beehive shaped one. There is a puzzle cube that you can fill with part of their meal for them to work out. Frank LOVES these.  If your dog doesn't destroy stuffed toys, there are some great ones available as well.

Last but, certainly not least - Do NOT ever leave your dog in the car in the heat.  If you see a dog in a car, have the owners paged and/or call the authorities. Do SOMETHING. It will not take very long for the dog to overheat.

Thank you for loving and taking good care of your and other furrkids!