Hot Dog Syndrome

When dogs run, and when the sun is out and hot, dogs pant a lot. And I mean a lot. It often sounds like a train is on it's way down a nearby track, when my Earl pants! They flop out on the cool surface beside of them, sprawl their legs, squint their eyes in the yellow sun, open their mouths wide, and let that wet, pink tongue dollop out.

The following photos demonstrate Earl in this satisfied position. I wonder what the pavement tasted like?!

WARNING: Earl is not suffering from 'Hot Dog Syndrome' in the below images; the warning signs you will hear about at the bottom of the post indicate serious collapse, serious chest heaving, etc all in which suggest overheating.

I also got some very interesting photos of the underneath of Earl's panting tongue:

And for the top of the tongue…

And not to forget that all important fresh, cool water that all dogs MUST have there in reach to drink at ALL times!

Some signs that your dog has got 'Hot Dog Syndrome' (And no, do NOT picture the below!)

Not the nom nom version.

The serious canine version!

Symptoms to look out for:

~ Excessive panting

~ Chest heaving

~ Collapse

~ Excessive drinking
~ Exercise intolerance

Look out for these especially on hot days.

If your dog seems seriously ill with overheating, rush him/her to the vet and in the meantime:

~ Gently trickle cool water over the dog's body (especially try and focus on the undercarriage, plus the paws, and covering your hands in cool water, stroke your dog's face and head area with this). 

~ Cover your dog's body, apart from the face, with a cold, damp towel.

~ Direct a cool fan full blast on your dog.

~ Lay your dog in a dark, cool room. 

~ Leave the dog under supervision to calm himself down independently, if all breathing is still occurring as it should to a hot dog.

~ If you have one, place a cool gel mat underneath your dog, or lay your dog on cool tiles or other surfaces.

To prevent it in the first place:

~ Do not over exercise, especially in hot whether.

~ Don't push your dog exercise wise.

~ Let him lie down, stop and rest if he wants to.

~ Keep water around, plus even invest in a cooling gel mat for your dog in the summer.

HOWEVER, don't panic if your dog does not look in a serious state. Panting heavily is usually normal in hot dogs, as they use this function to cool down. They sweat from their pads, and their pads only.

When the weather gets hotter, gel mats are a great product to invest in. The gel cools when pressure is applied (dog sitting or lying on it).

Overheating can be fatal!!

There are many to take a look at.

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