Walking dogs in the sun

Beans on toast Dave

Beans on toast Dave

Beans on toast Dave

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Telford
looking at my local facebook group it was all kicking off about people walking dogs yesterday afternoon
with posters saying they give people a piece of their mind if they see it, others measuring temps of the road and they have seen dogs "panting" in town FFS

whist i do not agree with walking your dogs in Hot sun im not so sure on yesterdays heat

i walk my boy when its warm and keep him close and not let him run, think about walking in shade or going for a swim
yesterday where i am it was about 23c i would have walked him in that but 30c not a chance

i also think the breed of the dog should be taken in to consideration, a large german shepard is going to be different to a terrier

what are peoples thoughts?
 
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Yeah if it's the middle of the day and it's 30 then that's getting too hot + can certainly damage the pads on their feet.

But 23... doesn't seem too bad. You can always walk in the early morning/evening and just avoid mid day.

Also, obvs acclimatisation aside, dogs live in places like California, they'd barely be able to leave the house at all if 23 was an issue - obvs perhaps not a good idea to have say a Husky there though.

Clearly must vary between breeds - if you've got a dog with a thick coat or one of those small bulldog things with breathing difficulties/trouble panting then obvs better to be cautious. For other dogs it's going to be as you get into the high 20s/early30 that you want to avoid taking them outside and just walk in the morning or evening.
 
jaybee said:
People go mad in the UK when the sun comes out for a day. My local FB groups are full of it as well. I don't think it's been hot enough on any day this year yet not to walk a dog has it?
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Nope and if it’s particularly hot day I just don’t walk our dog for as long, or not at all if it’s extreme temps.
I also take a small container and water with me in the summer.
 
CaptainRAVE said:
Typical social media where most people are idiots, incredibly judgemental and spread false information.
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On which side? you get those misinterpreting things and being over zealous, and those who dismiss all information out of ignorance.

www.vets-now.com

When is it too hot to walk a dog?

Heat stroke in dogs is almost always preventable, but it's critical to know when they're at risk. Our infographic explains when is it too hot to walk a dog.
www.vets-now.com www.vets-now.com

I do agree that effectively depending on breed/condition/health etc, a lot of dogs would be fine at 23C.. and certainly walking a dog, not exercising, as long as you have water and look after the dog, zero issues IMO.. We would have walked ours yesterday, slightly borderline with 25C and very hot pavements in places, but our walks are most on grass/countryside and we take water for the dog.

But it's not ludicrous to state that even at 23-25C, there are no considerations owners should make..

We went to Stratford upon Avon yesterday and decided not to take the dog because it was a sustained bright sunny day and the town can get a bit hot.. However, the recreation grounds were fine, nice temps and I would have zero issues with our dog there, but as suspected, it was bloody hot in the main streets, to a point it was uncomfortable for us in the sun at midday and the heat off the pavement was noticeable, you couldn't sit in the sun on that main street without it feeling really uncomfortable, so I'd say not good for a dog.

So yes/no..

But I'd not dream of chastising someone.. the biggest issue by far is just people not taking water with them, we always have a large flask with a lid that is a small trough and in summer the number of owners we see with their dogs showing minor distress is not that uncommon, we always offer water, their dogs usually go mad and drink half the bottle.. it's surprising how much water a dog needs, and that water makes a huge difference.
 
One of many reasons why I don’t do face palm! If the idiots think 23c is anything other than ‘cool’ they have a shock coming to them over the years.
 
Beans on toast Dave said:
looking at my local facebook group it was all kicking off about people walking dogs yesterday afternoon
with posters saying they give people a piece of their mind if they see it, others measuring temps of the road and they have seen dogs "panting" in town FFS

whist i do not agree with walking your dogs in Hot sun im not so sure on yesterdays heat

i walk my boy when its warm and keep him close and not let him run, think about walking in shade or going for a swim
yesterday where i am it was about 23c i would have walked him in that but 30c not a chance

i also think the breed of the dog should be taken in to consideration, a large german shepard is going to be different to a terrier

what are peoples thoughts?
Click to expand...


That's the problem right there.
 
Beans on toast Dave said:
looking at my local facebook group it was all kicking off about people walking dogs yesterday afternoon
with posters saying they give people a piece of their mind if they see it,
Click to expand...

No they wouldn't. All well and good saying they would give people "a piece of their mind" behind a screen yet say/do nothing face to face.
 
I've always been cautious about walking our dog in hot weather but that probably seems from the stuff I've seen on social media over the years, rather than any actual science I've read.

Yesterday when it hit 22c and was sunny, I would likely not walk out dog in the middle of the day. Then I realised every time we go to the south of France, there dozens of dogs being walked around in 30c heat and none of them seem particularly distressed.
 
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