[Anonymous]

It's 85 degrees out, Francis and I have just come in from a long, slow walk at a local park and Franny looks like he's just come off the Bataan Death March. He's drooling and breathing at an incredible rate. I just threw a couple of cold, wet towels on him and am encouraging him to drink cool water.
Does anybody else have a basset like this? He gets like this every summer and it always makes me nervous. He's healthy and I always bring water along on the walk but he won't drink it. Any other ideas?

 

[pinehawk]

that's how they cool themselves,water should be kept in front of them at all times and diet is important.i feel a higher fat food is needed fat burns off at a lower temp,and holds moisture which is released when the fat is burning off to help keep them cool.

 

[biscuit]

I never used to let Biscuit go on walks during the day when it got really hot here. He could handle cold --- loved it, in fact --- but didn't do the best with heat. You might try taking the walks really early morning or at night.

Water water water!

I also think some dogs are okay with heat, and others aren't. And it doesn't seem really predictable. Yogi, for example, has that underlayering of fat that labradors have --- you'd think he'd hate heat, but he loves it. The hotter the better --- he gets out and roasts for hours and hours at a time, seriously, in full sun, and will not come in. I have to drag him in because I am just so sure he's going to collapse from heat exhaustion. :roll: But he's always just fine. ?

 

[winnieslo]

As long as I let them set the pace my guys do well (it was 85 today and we spent an hour at the dog park)...but they drink willingly along the way

 

[Nicole510]

It was 90 here today (finally) and mine spent most of the day lying on the tile floor. When it gets warm like this I take my walks before 10am and after 8pm which is only because that's the habit I got into with the Boxers.

 

[murraysmom]

When there's snow on the ground Murray can chase rabbits for hours and not want to stop- as soon as the temperature hits 70,around early April, he's down for the count:walking him above 80 degrees is like dragging a big lumpy sack of potatoes. The bunnies start worrying again the middle of September.