Unlike human’s us dogs can’t sweat through our skin and have limited ways of cooling down. Dogs do sweat through the pads on their paws, but it’s by panting that us dogs circulate the necessary air through our bodies to cool down. So here’s a few tips on how you can help keep your furry friend, like me, cool in hot weather.
1. Frozen fruit and vegetables
Frozen berries, apples, bananas and carrots are perfect for keeping a dog
cool in hot weather whilst keeping us entertained. They also make a
perfect gum soother for teething pups. The plus side is hoomans can enjoy
these treats too, but DON’T include grapes or cherries as these are toxic to us
dogs.
2. Walkies early in the morning or late at night
Roads and pavements absorb heat from the sun throughout the day and hot pavements can burn and blister our paw pads. If it’s too hot for your own bare foot, then it’s too hot for your pooch. Also, walking dogs during hot summer temperatures can lead to heatstroke, which can be fatal. So, heading out first thing or last thing when its cooler will be welcomed by your woofer.
Evening dog walks in the shade
3. Doggie paddling pool
For those dogs who LOVE water like me, nothing beats a refreshing doggy paddle in the pool to cool down those paws.
4. Stone/ tiled floors
A tile floor is a great flooring option to keep your dog happy. In hotter months, your pet will have the coolest, most comfortable spot in the house. Provided your underfloor heating is off!
5. Ruff and Tumble dog coat
For those fashion-conscious owners look no further than the Ruff and Tumble dog coat. These versatile coats act as a brilliant drying/cooling/warming coat for your furry friend. In hot weather soak the inside of the drying coat in cold water to cool a hot pooch! I love it!
It’s so EXCITING when Simon visits to drop off the groceries. He seems to always remember my carrots – what a ‘Top Dog’ he is. I always have a friendly tail wiggle for him as he pulls into the gravel drive. I obviously BARK first like any good guard dog would (I’ve got a reputation to keep! I’m a 32kg Labrador… I sound FIERCE! Grrrrr……(winky face)).
Is there a place at the dinner table for me?
Anyway, it turns out it’s not only the carrots that are edible for us dogs (I hear you yelping for more!). Here are 10 canine-edible foods that I’ve discovered I can eat from the hooman’s very own supplies:
Natural yoghurt
Oh boy! oh boy! – drool…whine…drool…this stuff is darn T-A-S-T-Y! It’s drooltastic!
Eggs
Cooked eggs are SO SCRUMMY and nutritious for us dogs. But watch out for raw eggs my four-legged friends as apparently they carry the risk of salmonella which as with humans, makes us dogs sick. According to my daddy this type of food poisoning is NOT COOL!
Strawberries
These are PEDIGREE! I haven’t tasted blackberries or blueberries, but I’ve overheard I can eat these too! #cantwait
Apples
I LOVE these juicy treats but for some reason I’m never allowed the core…something about apple seeds containing cyanide which just sounds dangerous, so I’m happy to avoid.
Bananas
At first, I was a little unsure of the texture on my tongue but once it hits my taste buds I was hooked!
Broccoli
Chomp Chomp! A great low calorie snack but not too much as it may irritate the digestive system!!
Peanut butter
BOW WOW…‘TOP DOG’ treat! Hours of licking to be had if it’s placed in our KONG toys – an essential for all dogs. WARNING – peanut butter must be Xylitol free.
Oatmeal
Porridge is my FAVOURITE breakfast. Its wooftastic. I’m sure I have some Scottish blood in me somewhere! I like to think of myself as a doggy Braveheart, being a passionate, soppy, loving thing. But I’m a lover not a hater and Yorkshire’s where I call home.
Cucumber
Staple! Chomp … Chomp … Crunch
10. Meat
Obvs! After all I’m a carnivore!! The word CHICKEN sends me NUTS! Crazy like a dog! (chasing my tail) Woof!…Woof!…I’ll do ANYTHING for chicken!
So…what do my fellow canine friends get delivered in their shopping? Are there some tasty dog friendly treats that I haven’t tried yet?
When I was a young lad I suffered terribly from some kind of allergy that manifested itself in different forms.
Eye infection
My first eye infection happened when I was just three months old. You’ll see from my pictures it looked pretty bad. It gave me, and my pawrents a bit of a fright.
My first eye infection at three months.
The vet suggested it may have been something I came into contact with whilst walking through the summer grassy field. That was a reasonable explanation. That was until my second infection occurred around two months later, and a third when I was six months.
A human antihistamine helped me on these occasions. Be very careful as many over the counter antihistamine brands contain a decongestant which is dangerous for dogs, so always administer upon your vets recommendation.
My second eye infection at five months.
Skin allergy
The evening after my third eye infection I developed what looked like dandruff (dry flaky skin). It soon developed into something quite serious when it became itchy and blistery. I was in so much pain I had to be soothed with coconut oil. My break out began late at night so coconut oil was the only thing my pawrents had that seemed safe and natural to try and ease my discomfort, and thankfully it did. I went straight to the vet the next morning. My skin had began to heal but my pawrents had taken photos of my breakout to show the vet. It turned out I healed pretty well overnight.
Skin allergy – dry skin
Skin allergy – blistering
They started some tests to try to illuminate different factors. At first fleas and mites were ruled out. The vet, like my pawrents, didn’t find any sign of life from using the flea comb and I wasn’t showing signs of scratching. Nevertheless, the whole house was disinfected just in case.
On my check-up visit a different vet noticed my flaky skin and thought it could be a form of mites known as ‘walking dandruff’ the medical term ‘cheyletiellosis or cheyletiella mange’. Unlike other mite conditions this disease results in virtually no itching at all. This is an extremely contagious, non-seasonal skin disease of dogs, cats, rabbits and sometimes people caused by surface-dwelling parasitic mites. Well this caused panic in our household. The vet had prescribed a precautionary flea and mite medicated shampoo treatment. A skin-scraping sample was taken to detect the mites that are not visible to the eye. But my mites tests were negative.
Food allergy – hypoallergenic dog food
This left two further main possibilities; my environment, or my food. Was my house too hot, was I allergic to the washing powder or something else in the house. It turned out my allergy was due to food sensitivity. My pawrents started to look at alternative natural food options moving me only a locally sourced dog food called Millies Woofheart (www.millieswolfheart.co.uk). They produce a bespoke recipe dog food formulated without gluten and grains, and are naturally hypoallergenic. Luckily for me their mixes are extremely tasty – the countryside mix is my favourite. After a few weeks my skin condition cleared up and my coat was looking glossy. Be careful though; the key to changing our food is to do it gradually. My new food was extremely rich and the change needed to be more gradual than the brand suggested, this was probably due to my sensitive tummy. It’s just trial and error at this stage I’m afraid.
Happier and healthier at six months. New food – new me!
I’ve been happier and healthier since changing my food. Thank goodness it wasn’t my environment – I love my family home. And I’m so glad I found this delicious new cuisine too. After all I am a Labrador, so I’m ruled by my belly!
Common allergies in Labrador Retrievers
According to thelabradorsite.com Labradors tend to be more allergic that other dog breeds due to their immune system. Check out more at https://www.thelabradorsite.com/common-allergies-in-labrador-retrievers/
The tails of Dylan 