Your Dog and Summer Heat in San Diego

Carol M. Harris UW-AAB, Michael E. Harris UW-AAB, Ph.D.

Our warming weather in San Diego marks a great time to get out with your dog and enjoy the sunshine. But you should be aware of some hazards that accompany warm weather with your furry friend, and right off we need to look at your friend’s fur coat. Often, dogs come with two kinds of coats, a topcoat, and an undercoat. The topcoat has inflexible hairs that work to keep dirt and water from the undercoat. It’s the undercoat that provides insulation to keep the dog warm in winter and somewhat cool in Summer, provided the ambient temperature is not too high.

All too often owners will take their dogs out for exercise in hot weather that presents little problem to them because the owners can sweat. Dogs cannot, except a little bit through their paws and tongue. To lose excess body heat dogs pant, seek shade, and lay down on cool surfaces, which are not always available on a hot hike. To add to the problem, a dog’s body temperature runs at about 101 F to 102 F to start. Add over exercising, over exposure to heat, being inside a fur coat, and a dog’s body temperature can rapidly exceed that.

If the dog’ body temperature reaches 106 F, the dog will not survive. If you notice that your dog is panting heavily, is lethargic, your dog may be too hot. Your work then is to help him cool down by watering him down around the ears, head, neck, and underbelly. Check his tongue and gums. If they are becoming bright red, gray, or purple, your dog is nearing fatal collapse. You need to get him to the vet right away! Be aware and think for your dog as to what is a wise limit on his activities. Dogs will often continue to push their limits to keep up with and please their owners.

A dog’s pad on the bottom of its feet is more to provide a cushion to reduce the impact when a dog plants its foot or to provide ‘purchase’ for traction. It’s not heat proof and a dog’s feet can be badly burned. Even on tolerably warm days a surface such as an asphalt one, can get excruciatingly hot. If you wonder about a surface your dog may need to walk on, check beforehand to see how hot the surface is. If you’re a woman, place your hand palm down flat on the surface. If you’re a man, place the back of your hand flat on the surface. If you cannot hold your hand there for 5 seconds or more, don’t let your dog walk there without protection.

 You may have heard of people leaving their dogs in parked cars with the windows just “cracked” a little bit. If you just going inside briefly, say, for just 15 minutes or so, that shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Very wrong. Have you ever seen a solar oven? They’re metal boxes with a dark interior and a glass front to let in sunlight and keep the heat inside. That’s called the greenhouse effect. They can easily get to 140 F and will bake bread and cook other items. They resemble many of our cars and vans, just minus the wheels. In a short interval of time, such as 15 minutes, the interior of a car can reach 100 F or more, depending upon the outside temperature, even if the windows are “cracked.”. And under these conditions a dog could easily die. For safety’s sake never leave your dog unattended in a car in sunlight anymore than you would a child.