# high temperatures



## jcris (Feb 19, 2015)

My girls have been subjected to very high indoor temperatures the last several days. The average temp has been 105 outside and 85-90 indoors until late at night when temps cool to about 80. My air conditioning is being repaired but wont be fixed for another 2 days. I'm worried about my 2 standards. Both are 6 years old and in excellent health. But they just seem to sleep all day and occasionally they lay there with their mouths open and panting. They are drinking and eating normally although with the heat I've cut back on their portions. I've also begun giving them cooler drinking water. The tap water is cool but I've been using cold water from the frig. Not sure if that's a good idea? I do still take them for some exercise but only in the early morning when it is cool. I do not take them in the car with me as I almost always do, especially during the hot part of the day. Is there anything I can do to help them until the AC is fixed. I put them in the bath tub that has a few inches of cool water and just let them sit for a few minutes. They seem to like that but I'm not sure how much that helps. I don't have a thermometer for dogs but I do need to get one. Please suggest something that may help my girls get through the next couple days. 
Also , I'm using a room fan that helps but it really only pushes hot air around. I take them to a store with AC but can only stay there a short while.
I'm very worried and hope for some advise.
Thank you,
Jcris


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Texas summers are pretty brutal, so we exercise outside early and at dusk. When we have lost power, once for 13 days after Hurricane Ike, my last dog, Charlie, was the least uncomfortable creature in the house. He liked lounging on the tile floors, conserving energy. Buck loves the sprinklers and the hose as cool down tactics. I did buy a cooling collar and haven't needed to use it. I hope your AC is fixed soon for everyone's sake.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

We're having similar weather - even our swimming pool is 95 degrees. We're doing all the same things as you, and as you said, Mia is sleeping a lot more than usual. No car rides, except to go up into the mountains where it's still in the 60s; we're up at 5 am for our walk and she's inside for the day by 6:30 am; no walks during the day, except outside to potty; ice water to drink and in the tub to cool off.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Our temperatures have been nowhere near that, thank heavens, although we had a few days of what passes for a heatwave in Lancashire (it stopped raining, and hit 80F in the early afternoon!). You can get cooling beds for dogs - there are lots on Amazon and they get good reviews, or I am sure you could get similar ones locally. Not very expensive, and I would think they would be a good investment in a hot climate, especially for dogs past the puppy chewing stage.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

We thankful also don't get such high temperatures. It's hard for everyone. Sometimes I stick ice cubes into the water bowl. I have a large tray underneath to catch drips. My pets will play with the ice and it cools the water which in turn will cool them. If you don't want the ice, give them ice water where you filter out the ice cubes. This is colder than tap water.


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## Cadency (Apr 4, 2017)

I add ice cubes to Aiden's water during high temperature weather too. He doesn't eat the ice cubes, just licks at them, plus I think he appreciates the cooler water in his bowl. We had a hot spell last week, and I bought a cooling mat for him to help bring his core temperature down a bit. He did spend some time on it, but he also spent time on the tile floor in the front hall. We also have a fan moving air around: It may be warm air but I think it feels better moving than not. I'm not sure if it really does much for the dog though. I toyed with the idea of getting a kiddie pool so that he could stand in it, since I've been told that they do regulate their body heat to a certain degree through the pads of their feet.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Advice: 

Mist them with a spritzer bottle
Use a kiddie pool
Take them to a/c doggie daycare until the heat wave is over
Use a cooling pad for them to lie on
Use ice blocks in their sleeping area
Ice in their water bowl
(I copied some other people's great ideas 


It's been 105-109* the past few days here, or maybe even a week now. Just miserable. The dogs have only been allowed to go out first thing in the a.m. and late at night to run. If the a/c stopped working, I'd call every single repair person in town until I got someone to come out. It's an emergency to have it be this hot! Two dogs had heat stroke when I took Maizie to the vet. Hope you get those girls some relief!


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## Jetboy (Apr 2, 2017)

We regularly have this temperature in summer here in Australia sometimes even higher. I give my dog ice cubes to lick. He loves them. You can also freeze flavored ice treats to keep them interested. Just keep them out of the worst heat outside and don't run them around. The panting is just a way for them to cool themselves it isn't bad. I take him out for some play either early morning when it's not so hot or later at night when it has cooled down a bit.
Just let them lay around that is all they want to do in the heat. It's all I want to do when it's really hot! lol
I don't cut back on his food as he is still hungry so I let him eat. I just make sure to keep his water fresh and I do use cooler water out of the fridge mixed with the one out of the filter to keep it cooler.
Hope your ac is fixed soon.


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