Hot weather

Hi my baby ha she is 14 months now we went away for a week with my other dog half staffy and half Russell in our touring caravan large cage in the awning for the dogs for when we were not in the awning with them, it was a very muggy day we walked them 4 times that day and my staffy did nothing but pant very heavy all day , would not drink a lot went and bout her an electric fan for her to try and cool her down and go a spray bottle and sprayed her to get her core temp down but still she seemed to be having trouble breathing even large bucket of water over her had no effect , she is a dark brindle colour my other is white he was ok and it was about 22 degrees any ideas for future trips she really scared us.

All I can sugest is short walks & keep in the shade as much as poss.

A spray bottle's no good if you want to get the core temperature down. You need to heavily wet the head, neck, belly & feet with cool water & then leave her in a cool place, in the shade, to allow the air to draw the heat out.

Does she swim at all, Moo doesn't mind the heat but if we are on long walks I always take her swimming Xx

Swimming's good to prevent overheating but not for bringing the body temperature down once it's already overheated. The shock of immersion into cold water could prove a shock to the system & end up with collapse.

no walking in the sun and not at the hottest part of the day ...some dogs just cant take it ...give some icecubes to crunch if not drinking the water ..if not crunching them just rub it around the gums so getting some liquid .

Caryll wrote:Swimming's good to prevent overheating (

Thats why I suggested it!

it was not the hottest part of the day she hates ice cubes funny dog i poured water over her head feet belly still panting like hell and was kept in the shade all the time ,it was overcast not really sunny , i had to open all sides of the awning to get enough air through the van to cool her down and it still took a long time , but it was her breathing that scared us

Tilly really struggles in the heat (Black n Brindle) she won't go in a paddling pool so we give her ice cubes which she takes and point a fan at her which she really seems to like and that puts paid to the panting (short and fast)

She loves the fan but it take time for her to cool down poor girlie

Caryll wrote:Swimming's good to prevent overheating but not for bringing the body temperature down once it's already overheated. The shock of immersion into cold water could prove a shock to the system & end up with collapse.

janey wrote:

Caryll wrote:Swimming's good to prevent overheating (

Thats why I suggested it!

Yes, but I went on to say that it isn't good for bringing down the body temperature!

Make sure you only go for short walks and if poss, make them early morning, late evening or somewhere shaded like in a forest. Swimming is great in hot weather as is a paddling pool in the garden. Otherwise, keep your dog in the shade and make sure she has access to water. Frozen Kongs are good to entertain and cool.

Make sure you know how to spot and deal with heatstroke - https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t19124-heatstroke-survival-guide

Mine just would not stop panting her mouth was as wide as it goes and yet my other was wrapped up in his duvet ? ,She would not drink hardly at all just what we gave her with the spray bottle in her mouth , by herself it was little bit of water , yet the next day was a lot warmer and she was a lot better, i think she don't like the sun yet at home she sunbathes in the garden wired dog she is but she gave us a right scare she is ok now it was just 1 day must have been a off day i hope ,she is always kept in the shade has access to water and has short walks , some times she takes a rest on a walk she just lies down as Staffy s do back legs spread open and has 5 , then off she goes again,i think the rest is her pulling excessively ,she wont stop pulling at all especially when there are children and babies about she loves to see them typical Staff.

Do you walk her onlead?

Try walking early in the morning when it is cooler, then later on in the evening again when cooler. Try to avoid times in the day when the humidity level is high, just check on your local news channel for a weather report.

yes she is on a lead and is walked when cool as above times

I walk mine for hours in the sun but she is off lead so can say when enough is enough and plonk herself down. Onlead walks are much harder for them, 4 walks a day is fab but your girl needs to be able to do it in her own time, its not a critism at all, if mine wants to paddle/swim/lay down in long grass and generally keep cool she can, its just a thought Xx

its very rare i can let my 2 off the lead especially after all the crap about the dangerous dog what a laugh she would lick you to death , the other day someone came up to me and the wife i had the Staffy she had the cross ,Oh isn't he cute my wife had to stop her right there no its the other way round they always make that mistake the Russell cross Staff is the grumpy noisy one don't come near him go to the Staff and the look on peoples faces when you tell them

The stigma around Staffs is just such a shame, and one sadly we all have to put up with. If I am honest I think 4 onlead walks a day in this heat is too much, next time you go camping enjoy some sun bathing and leave Malkie to enjoy some also

janey wrote:

I walk mine for hours in the sun but she is off lead so can say when enough is enough and plonk herself down. Onlead walks are much harder for them, 4 walks a day is fab but your girl needs to be able to do it in her own time, its not a critism at all, if mine wants to paddle/swim/lay down in long grass and generally keep cool she can, its just a thought Xx