Hunker-down day: Are your pets cool?
By Gina Spadafori
June 27, 2009
Well, of course they’re very cool indeed, but will they be comfortable,too?
After a very moderate start to the season, we’re finally seeing some blistering heat here in Northern California this weekend. This morning I got up at 5 a.m. to get all the outside chores done, especially making sure the chickens have lots of shade and plenty of water. I have a mister for them as well, but I doubt I’ll use it unless they seem to be overheating. So far, I’ve only used it on a couple of days since I first got the chickens, on a stretch of days that topped 110-plus.
For the dogs, I have a hard plastic kiddie pool. When it cools down this evening, I’ll take a cool drink to the patio and they’ll wallow in the water. The cats will just settle onto the cat tree or bed in the sun, and the parrot will enjoy the air conditioning, with some extra misting to make up for the humidity an AC takes from the air. The dogs and maybe the cats will enjoy the Ice Pups I just poured into ice cube trays and put into the freezer.
Me? I have the fixings for salads and other cool meals, and only a couple of errands. One, to the post office to send care boxes to the puppies and their new families. They’ll be 12 weeks old Monday, and they’re doing well. The boys, in particular, are in growth spurts, their hind legs suddenly much, much longer than their front ones. (That’s Dooley to the right, the former BOB — Blaze Orange Boy. He has settled in happily in Iowa and is working on growing — fast! Here he was with his brothers a few minutes after he was born.)
And then I’m off to the rehab center to check on my mom. She had her knee replaced on Wednesday. The surgery went well, and now she’ll enter a week or so of intensive physical therapy. It’s going to hurt, that’s for sure, but I hope for her that in the end the next week’s pain will be the start of major gain: An end to her endless, chronic pain, and the beginning of her new mobility.
Been a bad week for mothers here: Christie’s is in the hospital, too, and much more seriously ill. I know some good thoughts and prayers will be much appreciated by her, her mom and the family.
And now, your turn: What do you do to keep the pets cool in the summer?
I keep ‘em in the air conditioning with me!
RE: Knee replacements: Speaking as someone who is headed that direction eventually myself, I never miss a chance to question ANYONE I meet who has gone through the surgery, and without exception, they all say the post-surgical pain recovery is more than worth it for the pain-free walking they end up with compared to the pain that was in every step before the surgery. So yeah - she’s got some pain-filled days on her immediate horizon. But longterm, she’s gonna be SO glad she did it!
And sending thoughts for Christie’s mom!
Comment by The OTHER Pat — June 27, 2009 @ 7:44 am
Hope your Mom does well with the new knee. Sending positive thoughts for Christie’s Mom. We try to keep everyone in the AC also,& do the doggie pool too.
Comment by Leslie K — June 27, 2009 @ 8:02 am
Best wishes for yours and Christie’s moms, positive thoughts from all of us.
I’ve been keeping the AC off as much as possible to let everyone acclimate to the inevitability of summer, but todays the day it comes back on I think.
I use a wading pool for the dogs and will most likely get them all wet with the hose this afternoon so that they can safely have some outside playtime.
Mostly it’s just cope time. And as I have a bunch of letters to FAX to Sacramento this weekend, Inside time is OK
Comment by JenniferJ — June 27, 2009 @ 8:43 am
We don’t have air-conditioning.
Both humans and dogs must be acclimated so we can go on a SAR mission with zero notice — which is, you know, the usual way that people get lost.
A SAR dog that lives in air-conditioning can go down fast when worked in hot weather. I’ve seen it happen in less than five minutes on a moderately hot day, once with a dog who really looked fit and trim, several times with dogs who were as poorly conditioned as their ersatz handlers.
So we have fans, the basement, the lower level of the bank barn, shade trees, and a spring-fed mud puddle full of ducks. And no enforced or encouraged activity in the hottest part of the day.
And NO SHAVE-DOWNS. Double-coated dogs need their coats to insulate against heat and to protect them from the sun.
On Thursday it was beastly in SW Ohio where I was visiting. Pip and her son Cap were good for about three frisbee throws each. The rest of the day was loooow activity for the dogs, frenetic for the humans.
Weather broke here today.
Here’s good thoughts on the Mom-front all around.
Comment by H. Houlahan — June 27, 2009 @ 8:47 am
Houlie … I’m so glad there are people like you, ready to suffer to save others.
And I’m so glad I’m not one of them. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — June 27, 2009 @ 8:57 am
I’ve used body cooling vests for dogs that don’t tolerate heat well. These absorb water and cover the belly, chest and neck. It was a great help when I had a dog with laryngeal paralysis who had trouble panting to cool off.
Comment by Janeen — June 27, 2009 @ 8:57 am
Best wishes for a speedy recovery to the moms. My dad really fought hip replacement and then felt so much better after that he immediately scheduled the other one. Gina, will you be having a gin and tonic as your sundowner?
Comment by Kim Thornton — June 27, 2009 @ 9:36 am
Oh yeah … come on over?
Comment by Gina Spadafori — June 27, 2009 @ 9:50 am
My preference would be to run the air conditioning as little as possible. But since I work in air conditioned conditions 40 hours a week, going back and forth between having it and not having it is difficult (not to mention trying to get dressed in the morning in a house that’s 90 degrees 90% humidity in clothing that will keep you warm all day in 72 degrees 50% humidity - some days I think I should carry my outfit to work and change there . . . . )
So I have to accomodate my own needs as well as those of the critters. As do most people, I would think. I do avoid running the A/C when it’s just warm air temperatures. But when the humidity starts to climb as well (which it always does -sooner or later) then my low-level asthma kicks in and I have trouble breathing and sleeping. So - too bad so sad - the air comes on. Set to about 82 degrees, but hey - I gotta breathe and I gotta sleep.
None of that is endangering my critters, so I don’t see where there is any kind of problem.
Comment by The OTHER Pat — June 27, 2009 @ 9:54 am
My thoughts go out to your mom for a speedy recovery and as little pain as possible.
May Christie’s mom have as little pain as possible and a comfortable outcome, too.
Boy, even though I should have had more operations than I have had, I avoid them as much as possible because I am a “scardy cat”.
Comment by Colorado Transplant — June 27, 2009 @ 10:00 am
We strip our heavily broken and rough coated Jack’s more often than in the winter to try to keep them a bit cooler. We also have a nice kiddie pool of water out in a shady spot. Mostly though, we just go a lot shorter walks and save all really intensive activity until after the sun goes down in the evening. Our dogs seem to do relatively well in the heat, but they do tire out more quickly, which is blessing!
Comment by Dani — June 27, 2009 @ 11:30 am
I have to say baby BOB has grown a lot!
Comment by Colorado Transplant — June 27, 2009 @ 1:04 pm
In my locale, the high today was 81. Tomorrow, it will be 79. And the next day will be 75.
But for a golden retriever, that’s hot.
Comment by retrieverman — June 27, 2009 @ 3:09 pm
Having my gin and grapefruit juice now.
Comment by Kim Thornton — June 27, 2009 @ 5:31 pm
It is now 102 at 5:30 p.m. in Sacramento.
I don’t think my Shiba and I are going to the dog park tonite. Maybe early tomorrow morning.
Comment by glock — June 27, 2009 @ 5:35 pm
We’re down to 99.9 from a high of 102.0
Took the bulldogs out at 3:00 and hosed them wet and they played in and out of the wading pool for almost an hour. The terriers do NOT like the enforced wet-downs and sulked for a while then joined in.
I moved the heartworm in-treatment rescue, Otis, into a smaller room that has it’s own AC as he really felt the heat today.
Cats are hiding out down down with the plumbing, nice and cool.
Husband is working on the above ground pool.
Mushu Pig has made herself a deep dirt hollow under the trees and will be getting wet down again soon
Some of my new basil plants did not fare well. :( The more established ones loved the heat today. :)
Comment by JenniferJ — June 27, 2009 @ 5:41 pm
Glock, Gina, we’re getting a nice breeze now, will try to send it east to you!
Comment by JenniferJ — June 27, 2009 @ 5:42 pm
If you can operate a sewing machine ( mine spits bobbins at me and makes growly noises whenever I approach it) then get yourself some sham chamois fabric and velcro and make your dog(s) a cool coat. Even if you can only find 15 X 15” bits and have to piece them together, it still makes a very good garment to help keep them cool in hot weather. I’m not talking canine haute couture here. Just something that holds water and helps keep a dog cool in high humidity and heat. I’ve had 2 different performance dogs experience the first stage of heat stroke, and now swear by shammy chamois and a pump action spray bottle, filled with water of course.lol.
Comment by Anne T — June 27, 2009 @ 6:47 pm
Another hint for helping dogs cope with heat— if they like tomato products, keep a supply of V8 juice on hand. It contains all sorts of good nutrients and is probably just as good as most sport drinks for electrolyte balance.
My Shiba laps it up.
Comment by glock — June 27, 2009 @ 6:59 pm
Blech
It’s 91.2 here at ten to ten
:(
Comment by JenniferJ — June 28, 2009 @ 9:52 am
wow, what is it with mobility issues + moms?!
my mother was just discharged from 10-days in Hospital and is on a walker; my elder-sis broke a hip, and altho her new one is great, she is still getting PT.
maybe it is catching, hmmm…
;-)
as for the sticky-heat, yes - here, too.
thank heaven, today we have ~ clouds ~ …
and lots of them! a 15-degree drop, altho the humidity is still gooey. dogs in wading pools, dogs wading in the surf, dogs sacked-out in the shade panting and smiling.
cheers, stay cool!
—— terry
terry pride,
APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, IPDTA, TDF
*change is good… You first!* [tmp sept 2007]
Comment by terry pride — June 28, 2009 @ 10:51 am
Former BOB was 21 lbs at the vet on Friday when he went in for shots. Getting hard to pick up these days!
Comment by Verde — June 28, 2009 @ 6:33 pm
PS. My Uncle and a Good friend both had knee replacements and were SOOOO happy with them. My one girlfriend had both done and is running agility with her girl. She finished her MX and is working on her MXJ
Comment by Verde — June 28, 2009 @ 6:34 pm
Thinking about the Pet Connection moms’ today.
I’m starting (duh) to realize that my little black mutt is quite bothered by the heat. I pack tupperware dishes full of mostly frozen water for our outings and limit time in the heat of the day. I also freeze a wet dishcloth in a ziplock bag to wipe his fur down with if we have to be out.
A/C is on the fritz right now so we’re all acclimating. I like the idea of the chamois vest, though! Maybe I’ll make us matching ones. :O)
Short spurts of training are kind of nice when it’s a bit hot though, as he’s much less bouncy and more focused. But I watch closely for when he’s had enough.
Comment by Original Lori — June 29, 2009 @ 7:37 am
Sadly, I did have one chicken fatality in the 110-plus heat. Even though they had lots of water, deep shade and a couple rounds of spraying of their area with water. I found the dead chicken this morning. When I went to bed, they were all alive, but it was 90-plus degrees at 10 p.m., so I guess that was just too much for her.
***
My mom is in a rehab facility all week, and doing pretty well. Yes, it HURTS to have your knee replaced, but she’s on board with the physical therapy and working towards her new life.
Christie’s family will know more this week, after more tests. I don’t want to invade their privacy, so let me just say keep the prayers and good thoughts coming.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — June 29, 2009 @ 8:18 am