The last Father’s Day that I can remember temperatures in the upper 90’s in the Chicago area was in 1988, the first of the greenhouse summers—the summer when Yellowstone burned. That was the first year that people talked about global warming. I hope this summer isn’t like that.
My grandfather died that day, on Father’s Day. No one had called him. He died alone with his house shut tight in the sweltering heat. My parents found him the next day. He was almost 88.
It’s not like we had abandoned him, but on that day, we had. I called him the day before to ask if he wanted me to drive him to my parent’s house for Father’s Day. He declined. My mom had also called him the day before. My sister and I, along with my mom, realized that all of us had failed to call him on that special day—but then it was too late.
A police officer declared it a heart attack. But maybe it really was the heat. We didn’t request an autopsy.
People and pets die from heat.
So what’s with the title? Bugs or Sun?
I asked Buffy, my nine-year-old cocker spaniel that question when I walked her in the sweltering heat this Father’s Day. I chose bugs, walking her around the shady side of the tennis court, where trees and a fence blocked the sun. But the plant growth thrived with mosquitos.
At least in the Chicago area, few people die from mosquito bites, although you could get West Nile Virus, but it isn’t very common to die from it—at least not here.
Signs of an overheated pet
- Heavy panting—my sister saw this last year at her home in California with her 15-year-old cocker spaniel. Her dog just wouldn’t settle and panted an extreme amount.
- Dogs are not efficient at cooling themselves. They don’t sweat, unlike horses and people. The lose heat from their pads and through their mouths from panting.
- Increased salivation or drooling.
- Excessive thirst
- Confusion—or staggering. This state is more serious. The dog will still be panting heavily.
- Decades ago, my dog was left in the car while I paddled on a river trip. The day was cool, cloudy, and drizzling. An hour later, the temperature soared twenty degrees when the sun emerged. Penny survived—but another ten minutes and she likely would have passed out and possibly died.
- Unconsciousness—this is a late stage of overheating and may lead to a coma.
- Bright or dark red tongue and gums
- Dry gums
- Erratic or rapid pulse
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Glazed eyes
Normal body temperature for a dog ranges from 101 to 102.5°F. If a dog’s temperature reaches 109°, heat stroke occurs and may cause irreparable damage. The brain swells, the kidneys become damaged and ulcers can develop in the intestines.
Invest in a dog rectal thermometer. If her temperature is below 104°, cool your dog and watch her carefully. If your dog’s temperature is higher, contact your vet immediately.
Brachycephalic breeds (dogs with flat faces and short noses) are at higher risk for overheating since they do not breathe as efficiently. Senior dogs, puppies, and those with health issues are also more susceptible.
How to cool an overheated dog
- General tips wherever you are:
My Cassie loved her pool! - Get your dog out of the sun
- Use cool (not cold) water to cool the dog’s body
- If water is not available, use wet towels to cool his neck, armpits, and groin area.
- Provide drinking water
- Give the dog ice cubes—but not too many
- If you are at home :
- Get the dog indoors where there is air conditioning
- Have the dog lay on a cool floor with a fan blowing on her
- If you are outdoors:
- Get the dog in the shade or an air-conditioned building or car
- Have the dog rest
What to do if you see a dog in a hot car
- Is the dog panting heavily and suffering? The owner may have left the dog for only a minute. Stay nearby and watch if the owner returns.
- Contact a store employee to find the owner.
- If the owner cannot be located, and the pet is suffering, contact the police or animal control. Sometimes minutes can save the pet’s life.
How to prevent overheating
- Leave your dog at home on hot days
Chipper laying on a cool bed in front of a fan - Don’t leave your dog in the car—especially not in the hot sun with the windows open only a crack. Park the car in the shade, provide water, and use methods to keep your dog cool.
- Get your dog wet by swimming in a lake or with a hose
- Use a cool bed—these work well if your dog will lay on it. But it doesn’t work once the bed warms. Cooling vests can also help for a short time.
- Give your dog a short summer hair cut
- Don’t walk or exercise your dog in the heat of the day or on hot pavement
- Provide plenty of fresh, clean drinking water
- Provide ice cubes, but not a lot
Remember a car in 85°F temperature can warm to over a hundred degrees in only ten minutes. So leave your dog at home.
Let’s all stay cool and safe this summer!
For more information:
http://www.dogingtonpost.com/how-to-treat-and-possibly-save-overheated-dog/
https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/06/24/overheating.aspx
Great advice for the summer! Here in Georgia it is so especially important to be aware of the heat. I have Siberian Huskies so we don’t even go out if it is too hot. They just take quick potty breaks in the backyard and we try to exercise in the mornings and evenings.
I believe I would choose the bugs, although they can get pretty bad in the South, too. We experiences temperatures in the high 90s this past week with the heat index in the 100s and this is only June. I even tried to sit on my front porch in the shade and it was too hot. I don’t have any dogs, but my mom keeps her dog inside with the AC and fans going and makes sure he has plenty of water.
The AC and fans help a lot to keep dogs cool. What did they do before electricity?
I have to be very careful with Kilo the Pug as they can overheat so easily- even a walk in hot sun can get scary. Great tips thanks -I know you mention cool water not cold, also important to tell people not to throw their dog in cold water if already overheated which I didn’t realize but makes sense as constricts blood vessels (my vet warned me). They can go into shock and die.
Right. You don’t want to super cool your dog by throwing him in cold water. This can just shock their system. Cool is best.
Oh, I am so very sorry for your grandfather’s passing. Heat is a scary thing. My Mom, who passed away (not from heat exhaustion) in 2015 had several strokes years ago, including a heat stroke, so we always had to be careful with her on hot days. With Siberian Huskies, I am ever vigilant with keeping them cool – either they are out in the early/late hours on the deck with an overhead roof for shade, a fan, and their own pool–or they are inside snoozing in the a/c. I never take them out in the car during the warm-hot weather. They stay home in the a/c! This is such an important post…but to answer your question, even though we have been warned this is going to be another bad season for ticks – and mosquitoes and flies can be horrid here…I’d have to opt for keeping my dogs out of the sun *if I had to choose one.* I really do try to keep the out of the sun *and* away or protected from bugs.
Thank you for your concern. Both bugs and the sun are bad at this time of year.
Mosquitos love me! After living in New Jersey and Tennessee to name two states with serious mosquito populations, I think I may have subconsciously chosen Southern Arizona as my home to avoid those pests. I much prefer waking up at 4:30am to beat the heat. I’ll take rising sun:) Love all of your tips and information for keeping our dogs safe.
But Arizona has bugs that can kill you like the black widow spider. My aunts live near Phoenix and it just gets too hot for me.
I’m so sorry you have that memory of Father’s day. No doubt your grandfather knew how much you all cared for him, calling and inviting/offering to pick him up to celebrate.
Thank you for these reminders about dogs and heat. Pinning. We don’t take our guys out until the evening. I would like to get a pool for Jack for the back yard. Henry and Reese have zero interest.
Btw, my dad was the first case of the West Nile virus, in Ontario.
Some dogs like the water much more than others. Buffy would have zero interest. She hates rain and water, while when I had springer spaniels, they went out of their way to get wet.
Fantastic post just in time for summer! It’s so sad when pet owners neglect to take summer heat and hot cars seriously. Great tips to keep pets safe. Sharing too!
Thank you!
This is so important to know in the summer time! The heats are unbearable in my country in Europe sometimes and it’s so important to protect ourselves from the heat. This year the summer temperatured started 1 month earlier… The climate change is getting more noticable year after year.
I choose neither. I hate the heat (it makes me sick) and I loathe bugs! Honestly, the need to walk dogs and do the outside thing is one reason I choose to live vicariously through other people who have dogs. I’ll stick inside with my feline friends.
This is really important information. I can’t tell you many times we had people leave their dogs in the car when they came in shopping. And we’re a pet friendly place.
It is really hard traveling with pets. I just did an 8 hour drive with a black long haired cat on a 90 degree day. My car has AC, but stopping for potty breaks and lunch was an issue. I had someone with me so we just took turns but I know several of my fellow exhibitors were out there on the road traveling alone.
I remember driving to Myrtle Beach for the 2017 BlogPaws conference when it was very hot. I ended up using drive-throughs to get food and just running in to pee for a few minutes. It was a pain to travel alone with a dog when it was hot.
I’m so sorry about your grandfather. I don’t think that many people realized how dangerous heatstroke can be for people and pets. Hopefully, posts like this will increase awareness.
I can’t handle the heat, so I stay inside in hot weather.
I’m finding it harder to handle the heat and I work outdoors some of the time. I always hope for a cool summer – which most people think I’m crazy because all they want to do is go to the beach. When I’m not working, I’d rather be in the AC when it’s hot.
Your post is hugely valuable to every dog owner during the summer months, and I love the suggestion of wet towels. People often panic and think ‘I don’t have…’ but there are alternatives as you say.
You can use anything to cool yourself or your pet down. Once I was canoeing on a large lake and I took off my t-shirt and dipped it in the lake. Since I was with a guy, I was hesitant. But as I got so hot, I figured I had a bra on, what the hell. That wet t-shirt kept me cool for hours!
That is a very good question. Up here, it’s not really the choice we have. We have a choice of hotter or cooler and different types of bugs. In the shade and cooler mornings and evenings, there are black flies and mosquitoes. During the day it’s deerflies and horse flies. Not much of a choice.
As for Cookie, she detests the black flies the most.
When it’s hot we go out more often for shorter periods of time. Frog hunting being Cookie’s very favorite activity, at least it keeps her in water, hence a bit cooler.
Yes, sometimes it’s just too buggy! I’m sure frog hunting keeps her busy!
Mr. N was a little wobbly and throwing up once because he was warm. He has a cooling coat and I constantly check him to see how much he’s panting. I also do carry him when he feels like it’s too hot to walk further.
He really did get overheated if he was wobbly and throwing up. He’s lucky you can carry him!
I choose neither! We have already had too many hot days here in NJ — and signs of overheating in my girl even in short walks. Then there was her lymes diganosis…..seems safer to stay inside. Great article though with important tips!
I’m sorry to hear about her Lyme disease diagnosis. Those ticks can be a real problem. I hope she has recovered from Lyme disease.
This is a Great post Sandy, excellent information here that will be so helpful to many pet parents. I was so sorry to read about your Grandfather, what an awful thing for your family to have to go through. I think it is an important story to share as a warning to others – pets and elderly folks should be checked on whenever there is very inclement weather. Thank you for sharing your Grandfather’s story, it just might help save a life this Summer.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Thank you! I hope my post does save a life!
Sandy, I am sorry about your Grandfather 🙁
Thanks for this fantastic post about the heat as I cannot stop stressing to people how important it is especially the sidewalks – I have water for Layla all the time on me and if I think it might be too hot I take the backpack also
Thank you. My dogs have rarely shown that sidewalks or blacktop is too hot for them, although I have worried about it. I’m always trying to guide Buffy away from the asphalt, but she is reluctant – go figure.
We pretty much avoid hot day walks. My dogs are not big fans of hot weather and tend to want to be in the a/c.
I am so very sorry about your grandfather! I can’t imagine how heartbreaking that must have been for you and your family. You are absolutely right about the risks of the heat for both humans and pets. We live in Arizona where the heat is a factor 12 months out of the year practically. Unfortunately, for Junior and Sulley, this means we opt for other forms of exercise than walks on most days.
It doesn’t get as hot here in Chicago as Arizona, but we can sure get the humidity. Also, since I fortunately live close to Lake Michigan, a slight breeze off the lake can cool things off.
It is beyond me that folks still leave their pets in the car unattended. Even if you think you will only be a minute, you never know what might delay you. These are all excellent tips for cooling off an overheated dog.
I am very guilty of leaving my pets in the car. They always look so lost when I tell them they can’t come with. One thought that just occurred to me is to check the time when you leave the car and decide when you need to be back. If you don’t do this, a 5-minute trip can stretch into a half hour without you realizing it.
The heat is no joke here in Florida! Even when the sun starts to set, it’s still easily over 90 degrees. Last year we were volunteering at a rescue group’s function and a lady walked up with her Pug mix that was suffering from heat exhaustion! She had no idea! We had to tell her to take her dog to a nearby veterinarian ASAP.
Wow! I can’t believe she didn’t know that her dog was suffering. Pugs and other short-nosed dogs are especially susceptible to the heat.