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Tips for Keeping Your Dog Cool in Warm Weather

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Keep Your Dog Cool in the Summer Heat

Hunting in hot weather can easily lead to a dehydrated and overheated dog, with both conditions being dangerous.  Hunters can easily allow their enthusiasm for the hunt to cloud their judgment when it comes to the health of a pet.  Here, tips for keeping your dog cool on warm days will be discussed.

Keeping your dog cool

Keeping your dog cool

Carry Water and Ice
Keep water for your dog in your vehicle and with you at all times during the hunt.  Even if the temperature feels comfortable to you, remember that your dog will be working much harder and is unable to sweat.  Keep large amounts of water in your car, such as 1 – 5 gallon jugs, and portable water bottles in your field bag or vest. You should also stock a cooler with ice in case of emergency.

Do Not Rely on Natural Water
While some streams or ponds may be safe for your dog to drink from, never encourage this behavior.  Natural bodies of water can contain highly toxic algae and bacteria, as well as chemical runoff from farms.  

Water Your Dog Whenever Possible
Since dogs cannot sweat, they are not able to cool themselves as efficiently as humans.  You can help your dog cool off by keeping his or her coat wet throughout the hunting or training session, thereby allowing evaporative cooling.  Soak your dog’s fur (ensuring the water reaches the skin) on warm days. If your dog is on the verge of heat stroke, cool your dog by pouring water on his or her tongue, throat, belly, groin, back, and ears.  

Avoid the Heat of the Day
When the temperature is especially warm, opt for early morning or early evening hunting and training sessions.  These times of day are generally produce the best hunting.

Use Hydrating Products
Even though dogs don’t sweat, they still lose necessary vitamins and minerals when they work hard, which can lead to dehydration.  Look for products that replace lost nutrients in hard-working dogs, similar to sports drinks for humans.

Know the Signs of Heat Stroke
Heat stroke is extremely deadly for dogs, but can typically be managed if caught in time.  The symptoms of heat stroke include excessive panting, disorientation, ignoring commands, glazed eyes, incoordination, staggering, and collapse.  

Know the Treatment for Heat Stroke
Heat stress and heat stroke are very serious conditions that must be treated immediately.  If your dog is showing the signs of heat stroke, he or she requires attention from a veterinarian ASAP.  In the meantime, cool off your dog by pouring water on sensitive areas of the body and encouraging him or her to drink, if the dog is conscious.  However, do not force your dog to drink water if he or she is unable or unwilling. When transporting your dog to the veterinarian, ensure there is plenty of ventilation in your dog’s crate or trailer.  If possible, put your dog in front of an air conditioning vent in the cab of your vehicle.

 

 

Heat Exhaustion and Your Dog

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Dangers of Heat Exhaustion and Your Dog

Heat exhaustion is one of the biggest dangers to a sporting dog’s health.  In fact, overheating is far more damaging to a dog than hypothermia.  Here, heat exhaustion will be discussed, as well as how to prevent its occurrence in the field.

 

 

What is Heat Exhaustion?
Heat exhaustion occurs when dogs build up an excessive amount of heat in their bodies that they are unable to adequately dissipate.  During hunting season, a lot of excess heat is built up when running retrieves, particularly in large breeds.  Since dogs are unable to sweat, they do not lose this heat as quickly as it developed.   Sport dogs are at greater risk for heat exhaustion during early dove and teal seasons, or late goose season when the weather is warmer.  

What are the Signs of Heat Exhaustion?

The signs of heat exhaustion in dogs include:

  • Excessive panting
  • Excessive drooling
  • Body temperature >103 degrees F
  • Reddened gums
  • Little to no urine production
  • Rapid heart rate
  • Irregular heart beats
  • Fluid build up in the lungs
  • Cardiac arrest
  • Vomiting blood
  • Bloody stools
  • Seizures
  • Lack of coordination
  • Confusion
  • Unconsciousness

How Can I Prevent Overheating my Dog?

A contributing factor to heat exhaustion in sport dogs is dehydration.  Most dogs don’t drink enough water.  Hunters can float their dog’s food (i.e. add water to dry kibble) to promote hydration.  

In the field, dogs can be given a drink of water in between each retrieve with a simple water bottle that is easily stored in a jacket or vest.  If your dog does not like the water bottle, you can practice using it at home by placing peanut butter on the nozzle.  Your dog will happily drink from a bottle in no time.

What Should I Do if My Dog Overheats in the Field?

As soon as you recognize that your dog has overheated you must act quickly.  Use cool towels to gently lower your dog’s body temperature.  Never dump ice water on your dog, as doing so will send him or her into shock.  Next, get your dog to a veterinarian as soon as possible.  Do not place your dog in a confined area, such as a kennel or dog box, in an attempt to let your pet cool down on his or her own.  More often than not this technique leads to death.  

 

Keeping Your Dog Healthy With an Off-Season Health Check-Up

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Off-Season Health Check-Up – Keeping Your Dog Healthy

Keeping your dog healthy includes plenty of preventative care, particularly in the off-season.  Your dog should have regular check-ups by a veterinary physician, and attention should regularly be paid to the following areas.

Nails
Your dog’s nails should be regularly trimmed to keep them from getting caught on objects in the field and potentially causing a problem.  If you frequently trim your dog’s nails, the quick will remain short.  However, if you allow your dog’s claws to grow for extended periods of time, the quick will extend into the tip of the nail, making it difficult to trim back your dog’s claws too short.  Regular trims also prevent your dog’s nails from developing a hook, which can be especially troublesome if it becomes caught or tangled in wires or brush.  

To trim your dog’s nails, use specially-made nail clippers to remove approximately ¼’’ of nail at a time, or until the edge of the quick becomes visible.  If you or your dog are uncomfortable with nail clippers, consider a dremel-type nail tool that will grind the nail instead.  Ultimately, nails should be kept short to keep your dog from ripping off a claw, which is painful and can take a long time to recover from.

Ears
Labrador Retrievers commonly develop ear problems because moisture can easily become trapped inside the ear canal.  For preventative maintenance, make a 50/50 solution of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar.  Pour a small amount of this solution onto a paper towel or gauze, and rub out the exterior of the ear.  After a hunt or training session that involves water, pour a small amount of the ear cleaning solution into your dog’s ear, where it will serve as a drying agent.  Excess water in the ear canal can cause painful ear infections.  

Teeth
Dental health is important for dogs because the buildup of plaque and tartar can create serious problems, both in the mouth and the cardiac system.  Dog owners can brush their dog’s teeth, or use a dental scraper once per month to remove tartar.  Simply place your thumb at the base of the dog’s gum to prevent accidentally hitting this sensitive area and scrape away any buildup.  Also check your dog’s gums for sores or diseased areas.  Since your dog will use his or her mouth a lot in the field, it is important that teeth and gums are in optimum condition.  

 

Coat

Finally, Keeping your dog healthy involves taking a good look at your dog’s coat.  It should be shiny, healthy, and thick.  Your dog should be at a healthy weight, and also active.  Since Labrador Retrievers are built for spending a lot of time in the water, they have natural oils in their fur that repel moisture.  Avoid giving your dog a bath too frequently, which will strip these natural oils from your pet and lead to dry, itchy, and flaky skin.  A dull coat is usually the first sign of illness.

By keeping regular tabs on your dog’s health, you can prevent many diseases from occurring.  Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

 

Best small breed dog food

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Best small breed dog food

Feeding your dog the best food you can is important to making sure that your dog has the best quality of life. Choosing the food for your small dog should take some thought and consideration. Small dogs and Toy breed dogs have quite different nutritional requirements from larger dogs. Each breed will have their own needs and within those breeds, each dog will be individual with its own preferences and possible allergies. Your dog will also need a different diet at the different stages of its life.

Smaller breed dogs generally have higher metabolisms than larger dogs, which means that they use up more energy per pound of dog. Because of this, they require a higher calorie diet than dogs who are bigger than they are. This is made difficult due to the fact that small dogs have small stomachs, so they can’t eat a whole load all at once. Small dogs will need several meals throughout the day and these meals should be high calorie foods packed with nutrients.

Choosing the right food for your dog has tremendous effects on its health . Finding best dog food for Shih Tzu and other small or toy breeds for making sure that your dog gets all the right nutrients and minerals is essential! This is also critical for making sure that your dog lives a full and happy life. Especially as small dogs tend to have longer life spans than larger dogs. The food you feed your dog when it’s young will have an effect on its health all the way through life, just like with a baby. It needs good nutrition during the growing and development periods.

With all of these things in mind, it can now seem a bit daunting trying to choose a great food for your dog. The main thing to remember is to pick a dog food that has more quality calories and nutrients per weight than other dog foods. It should also include a high quality protein source, like chicken or lamb. Look for a named meat as one of the first ingredients and avoid anything unidentifiable, like “animal meats” or “by-products”.

Fatty acids are another essential part of the diet of small dogs. There are essential nutrients that they require that are only found in fatty acids like Omega-3 and Omega-6. Fatty acids help to keep the skin and coat healthy and some vitamins are fat soluble so your dog will require some fat in its diet to help absorb them. Again, look for named fats like fish oil or chicken fat and avoid anything ambiguous.

Dog also require vegetables in their diet as they are not actually strict carnivores. For carbs and grains, it can be a little more complex. These are needed to ensure that your little god gets enough calories, but some Toy breeds have issues with allergies to some grains like corn and wheat. They are also prone to hypoglycemia, especially as puppies. Carbohydrates can cause glucose and insulin spikes and drops in the blood, but slow digesting grains like oaks will help to mediate this. High fiber vegetables are also good for balancing blood sugars between meals.

Many Toy breeds have low blood sugar issues, especially as puppies. The best thing to do is make sure they have snacks between their meals so that they are eating around 5 or 6 times a day. This will keep their blood sugar levels consistent, rather than having spikes when they eat and dips afterwards when the glucose runs out. As with the food, you want a snack that’s easy to chew and easy to digest. Regular dog snacks like dried meat can be tough for a little dog to chew properly and difficult to digest in their sensitive stomachs. You want a snack that’s quick and easy to eat. Not something that your dog will take away and spend a lot of time devouring.

Small dogs come with small mouths and this needs to be taken into account when looking for the best dog food for small dogs. Most small dog food comes in little bite-sized chunks called kibbles. These are easy for small jaws to chew on so they’ll be properly digested and not choked on. They’re also great for putting in automatic dispensers to give your dog an extra serving of food while you’re not home during the day.

The best food for small dogs is one that is high in calories and nutrients so that your dog can get everything it needs from its meals in the small amount that its stomach can handle. However, it is important that more calories does not mean you overfeed your dog. It needs calorie dense and nutrient dense meals to keep up with its active personality, not just extra food and empty calories for the sake of them. There’s a lot of life in little dogs and it needs a lot of energy to keep it going.

 

 

Keeping your Dog Safe During Huntng Season

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Protecting Your Dog During Hunting Season

The great outdoors is the perfect place to bond with your dog and exercise at the same time. During hunting season, however, that healthy environment can pose many dangers for your best friend if you come unaware and unprepared. Fortunately, there are some simple precautions that you can take to protect your dog from harm and injury.

Preparation

Hunting dogs play that role for a small part of the year; for the rest of the time, they are just regular family pets with a knack for occasionally chasing whatever takes their fancy. This period of relative inactivity can take its toll when hunting season rolls around. The sudden increase in the amount of exercise that is required of your dog can be the trigger for a lot of discomfort and pain. First and foremost is the inevitable muscle stiffness and soreness. Just like our muscles protest if we exert ourselves after prolonged rest, so do a dog’s. Whereas muscle pain is can be a thorn in the side, a sudden return to exertion can also have a worse effect – injury. Ease your dog into the season by working him up to the level of exercise required.

hunting dog LED collar

Friendly Fire

Every year, people and hunting dogs are hurt because of mistaken identity. Just like you wear a bright vest to clearly identify yourself to hunters in the area, your dog should have one too. Buying reflective or LED dog collars might be a good investment, particularly because wooded areas tend to be dark even in daylight hours. All these measures help to minimizeWaterfowl Decals the possibility of an accidental shooting.

Nutrition

Along with an exercise regimen that works all parts of the body, supplement his diet with good protein from active dog food to feed the muscles and prevent injury. When actually out on a hunt, it is better to give small meals spread out across the day rather than huge portions fewer times. This ensures a constant stream of carbs for energy and protein for muscle repair without making the dog feel bloated.

Hydration

The season and level of activity a canine enjoys also affects its hydration requirements. Ensure that your dog has continuous access to water at home before the hunt and also in the field during the outing.

Local Dangers

Forested areas and pristine nature might be gorgeous but they can also hide a host of native critters that may lash out in fear when surprised by you or your dog. Investigate the area and speak to locals and those who have hunted there before to identify what dangers may lie in wait amongst the tall grasses. Snakes and porcupines pose a particular danger in such environments. Man-made hazards like traps and barbed wire are another potential danger that can injure an enthusiastic animal rushing through the undergrowth. As before, those familiar with the area will be able to give you the best pointers on what to look out for and which areas to avoid.

In Case of Emergency

Always carry a first aid kit for your dog when engaging in activities that carry an inherently higher risk of injury. A good basic kit would contain: rubber gloves, bandages, cold compress, antiseptic, and eye wash. Add components as suited to the area and as recommended by your vet.

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Hunter Dunbar

Author Bio: Hunter is an avid Outdoorsman and Outdoor Enthusiast that has hunted both nationally and internationally as well as trained several Gun Dogs for upland and waterfowl hunting.  Hunter has the knowledge and experience on a wide variety of topics and offers up some of the best information and reviews available on the web.

Sporting Dog Super Store & Blog

At HuntEmUp.com, we know sporting dogs. From the time they’re a puppy, through their senior years, we’ll keep you informed on the latest news and information. For more information on Training, Preparing and Caring for your Dogs, read our Hunting and Sporting Dog blog.

 

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