Practical Pet Tip #1

I'm calling this post "Practical pet Tip #1" assuming there will be more to follow. And no, the match stick tip doesn't qualify as practical!

I hope this doesn't come off preachy but I learned some great tips today about dogs and heat exhaustion that I want to share, so take note because this is really practical advice for any dog owner and can be life-saving:

Dogs can get overheated even on overcast days. And it doesn't always have to be a million degrees outside either. Intense play and not knowing when to make your dog quit can also lead to heat exhaustion.

No matter how it happens, there's a good tell-tail (cute, huh?) sign that your dog is in need of quick intervention. If when you look at your dog you think to yourself, "I've never knew my dog had such a long tongue," you've got a dog that is close to overheating. When the tongue appears unusually long, you want to act quickly to get your dog cooled down. Here are some ways to help your pet recover quickly...

1) Hose the dog down. Make sure you wet the pads of the feet because this is where heat escapes. Hosing down is thought to be better than putting the dog in a cool bath because the bath can sometimes cause the dog's temp to drop too low. Going from very hot to very cold isn't healthy for the dog. Hosing down doesn't shock the dog's system as much as a bath. And don't worry if the water from the hose is kind of warm. Chances are it's still cooler than the dog will be at over 102 degrees body temperature.

2) Pour on or spray the dog with alcohol. Why? Because alcohol evaporates quickly and will draw heat away from the body and give a cooling sensation as it dries. Keep a spray bottle of alcohol handy when you exercise your dog.

The best thing of all is to take measures to keep your dog cool from the get-go. Keep lots of water on hand for your dog, spray him down with alcohol occasionally, and make your dog quit when you think he's has enough, even if he doesn't know when to stop.

This tip is dedicated to my baby Moe, who loves to run the length of the yard incessantly, hunting bunnies and birds. He would never come in out of the heat if we didn't make him! :)