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It’s Canada Day at Casa de Kolchak and it’s hot as woof.
image from the free & adorable WeatherPuppy iPhone App
It’s 91 degrees right now, with 47% humidity. The air is thick and muggy. You can actually see the moisture evaporating off the ground. Holy woof, it’s warm. I’m too hot and I’ve got a body covered in sweat glands. (On a related noted, my apologies to the neighbours. No one needs to see me in my sun suit, but it’s just too darn hot for clothing.)
If I feel too hot, I can’t imagine being a dog wearing a black fur suit.
It just seems so hot & impractical. They agree. Judging by the amount of laying around and panting going on here, Koly and Fe are apt to agree. Luckily, we have some tried and true ways to help our dogs cool off. On days like this, I put Felix’s DIY Cooling Dog Bed in the fridge instead of the freezer and as tempted as I am, I don’t give them frozen treats. I can actually be really dangerous to cool your dog off too rapidly and I’d rather play it safe than sorry. (We do encourage them to drink by making flavoured water for dogs). Every one knows to provide ample shade, lots and lots of cool, fresh water and to take frequent breaks from the heat, but what else can you do on a really hot day to help your dog cool down?
Get a mister just like ours on Amazon for less than $20. <affiliate link
1. A mister provides heat relief for the whole family.
It looks like such a little thing and for less than $20, I was like “really, how much help will this even be?!” , but our mister amazes me every single year. It floats a fine mister of water across the deck reducing the temperature enough to make it comfortable for pups and people. Paired with a fan to really move it around, this mister is EASILY my favourite tool to help the dogs beat the summer heat.
2. Fun & games with water.
None of the Casa de Kolchak dogs care for swimming, but on a really hot day just dunking them under the water for a minute helps them cool off for quite a while. Since we have little dogs that won’t play or swim, we buy a $5 kids boat from the discount store. It’s way easier to store in the winter and doesn’t flood the yard when I pour it away at the end of the afternoon.
A Felix Favourite: Cold, fresh sliced watermelon. Yum!
3. Cool, but not frozen snacks.
Feeding your dog frozen things on a hot day can actually make them vomit. As glamorous as dog puke on my flip flops sounds, I’m going to take a pass. Instead, we offer cool snacks that boost hydration like watermelon, strawberries, canteloupe, peaches, pineapple or blueberries & raspberries. Watermelon might actually be Felix’s summer fav.
How do you help your dog cool off on a hot day?
Sharon Parker
Sunday 21st of June 2015
Maggie loves to play in her pool, play with the sprinklers and during the hottest part of the day can be found laying on the cool grass in one of the shady corners of our yard or inside in one of the cooler rooms. The things about quiet hot afternoons is that they turn into crazy I just want to play all night once it cools down.
Donna Boisvert
Monday 30th of June 2014
My dogs have all loved pieces of watermelon cut up bite-sized. They also have fun with a kiddie pool.
Carrie Boyko
Wednesday 3rd of July 2013
Tanner's daily swims ceased yesterday when we discovered he has his first hematoma. Boo! I caught it while it's still small, so we're giving it a chance to dry out and heal. The doctor drained it and he's taking an anti-inflammatory. Paws crossed;he's sitting at the back door staring longingly at his favorite possession--the pool!
Oliver and Tanner love various frozen pupsicles that I make, and fortunately none have ever made any of the dogs heave. Yay! I hope it stays that way; they sure do enjoy frozen yogurt pops.
Stay cool!
jealoushe
Wednesday 3rd of July 2013
My guys swim in the pool, in their doggy pool...or I hose them down when Im in the barn!
Wordless Wednesday: Hot Doggity Dog | Kol's Notes
Tuesday 2nd of July 2013
[...] we know how to beat the heat with these simple solutions and lots of tasty homemade flavoured water for dogs. At the end of the day, as the sun slipped [...]