The perfect plan for your perfect pup
The human body only has one way of cooling itself down: Sweating. Dogs, it turns out, have multiple different methods of cooling themselves down.
Where Do Dogs Sweat if Not from Their Belly?
Since the fur interrupts evaporation, they’d sweat from the part that has the least fur. It means that they’d sweat through their paws. Merocrine glands that are responsible for regulating their body temperature are in their paws. You may tend to assume that dogs sweat through their armpits, belly, or other areas of skin, but that’s just a false assumption as dogs do not have any sweat glands in there. They do have glands in that area but release scent pheromones for identification purposes.
So, to cool down, a dog opens their mouth and breathes heavily. By doing so, the extra water evaporates from the dog’s tongue, lungs, and nasal passages, lowering the overall body temperature. Still, it can be tricky to identify whether your dog is feeling hot. So you have to look for different signs beside panting but remember that excessive panting is never a good sign.
If you notice your dog’s neck sticky, don’t take it as sweat as it is a fungal or bacterial skin infection or the beginning of it. In such a case, you would have to take your doggo to the vet as soon as possible.
How to Keep Your Dog Cool to Prevent Overheating
Though your pup is sure to demonstrate her panting prowess, its ultimately up to you to ensure she stays safe in warm weather conditions. Haddad says overheating and heat exhaustion are deadly threats and can cause your dogs vital organs to shut down. Heatstroke can occur when a dogs body temperature surpasses 103 degrees. Overheated dogs may display the following symptoms:
Overweight dogs and dogs with pre-existing conditions, such as lung and heart disease, are at increased risk for overheating. Brachycephalic breeds are also more likely to overheat due to their short noses that can cause difficulty breathing. Some of these breeds include:
Your thick-coated dog may seem like a cause for concern under all that fluff, but dog fur acts as insulation from both cold and heat. Shaving your dog is not a solution and actually may cause more harm than good, according to the ASPCA. Instead, pay careful attention to the weather and consider how hot is too hot for what your pet can tolerate.
“Be aware of the conditions before exercise,” Haddad says. “Take the temperature and humidity into consideration, and if you are hot and uncomfortable, you should assume your dog is as well and avoid excessive activity until the temperature cools down. Try to avoid exercising in temperatures above 75–80 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Dogs left in the heat should be provided with adequate water, shelter, and shade, and any outdoor activities should be interrupted intermittently for water breaks. And of course, never leave your poor pup in a hot car as it can quickly become deadly.
Overheated dogs or dogs suspected of heatstroke should be attended to immediately. “If you think your dog is suffering from heatstroke, wet your dog with cool water, especially on the bottom of the feet and belly, and head to the nearest veterinary hospital,” Haddad says.
You and your dog can soak up the summer sun safely with these considerations in mind—but only one of you will be soaked in sweat. For the other: suns out, tongues out!
4 Reasons Why Your Dog’s Stomach is Hard and What to Do
I recently ran a race on the Fourth of July. It was a grueling, 6.2-mile run in the heat and humidity of a typical summer day. Needless to say, I was drenched in sweat by the time the race was over. Dogs weren’t allowed in the race, but if they had been, they wouldn’t have been sweating like their human counterparts.
Why is that? Do dogs sweat? Answering the question of whether dogs sweat involves delving into the science of sweating.
We have millions of sweat glands all over our bodies. These glands, called eccrine and apocrine, are activated by nerves to help cool us off. Eccrine glands produce and release an odorless, clear fluid that evaporates and aids with heat loss. Apocrine glands, located in the armpits and genital area, secrete a thick fluid that releases an odor when it mixes with bacteria on the skin’s surface.
Dogs have a type of sweat gland called merocrine glands, which are located in dog paw pads. Rarely, a dog will sweat through its paws. Overall, though, dogs have far fewer sweat glands than people do, making their other natural mechanisms for cooling off more important than sweating.
Dog sweat glands, in addition to being few in number, are also inefficient. Therefore, dogs rely on other mechanisms to keep their body temperatures under control—a process called thermoregulation.
The primary form of thermoregulation in dogs is panting. When a dog pants, heat rises up from his chest and escapes through the moisture of his tongue, mouth and throat. As he exhales during panting, the moist air evaporates and keeps him cool. So, even though your dog won’t have sweaty armpits when he’s hot, you’ll know he’s trying to cool off when he starts panting.
Another form of thermoregulation is vasodilation, which is an expanding of the blood vessels. Vasodilation allows warm blood to get closer to the skin surface. The closer this warm blood is to the body’s surface, primarily through vasodilation in the face and ears, the better a dog can cool down.
When panting and vasodilation aren’t enough to keep a dog cool, heatstroke can occur. Heatstroke in dogs has many causes, including exercise, being trapped in a hot car, and not having access to fresh, cool water on a hot day. Heatstroke can be fatal if left untreated, so it is important to recognize its symptoms and act quickly. Symptoms of heatstroke in dogs include:
If your dog is showing signs of heatstroke, call your veterinarian immediately and get your dog to the veterinary clinic as soon as possible for treatment and monitoring.
Because dogs can’t sweat like humans do, it is important for dog owners to be proactive about keeping their dogs cool during the warmer months. Here a few strategies to keep your dog cool:
In addition, you can also outfit your dog with dog cooling apparel, like the Suitical Dry Cooling Vest, when it’s time for a walk or outdoor play. Cooling mats help dogs cool down quickly, particularly when a cold surface like tile is not readily available.
Understanding how dogs cool off and knowing what happens when they overheat can help you take good care of your dog when the temperatures rise outside. Make sure your dog can enjoy the dog days of summer as much as you do!
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