It’s HOT here at the moment! Readers in other countries might say, ‘Of course it is, it’s summer,’ but we haven’t had a proper summer in this country for 10 years, so it feels strange. Pearl finds it particularly puzzling; she’s only 9, so she’s never known heat like this.
The heat can be difficult for us dogs, especially when we get old. Our normal body temperature is higher than yours, plus we have fur coats we can’t take off, so we need you to be vigilant and make sure we don’t overheat. Here are some tips to keep us cool:
- Cool (not cold) wet towels on our ears, paws, armpits and groin
- Don’t overcool or force drinking
- Don’t muzzle us in hot weather
- Keep us out of hot cars
- Careful exercising – stick to cooler times of day
I don’t want to scare you, but perfectly healthy dogs have died this summer after being exercised in the heat. Signs of heat stroke are:
- Panting
- Drooling
- Thick saliva
- Distress
- Raised temperature (over 39.3 C, 102.8 F)
- Wobbling gait
- Bright red/purple gums
- Loss of consciousness
If we have these symptoms, cool us down and get us to the vet ASAP!
On a happier note, the hot weather is bringing out all sorts of interesting critters and bizarre phenomena, like monster moths…
Elephant Hawk Moth
…and strange lights in the sea at night. We’d like to think this is fairy activity, but it’s actually down to plankton that light up in the dark. In Annabelle’s story about the Slapstyx goblins, the plankton become possessed by evil spirits, forming into terrible monsters and destroying the other sea creatures, but real plankton are peaceable beings who need to protect themselves at night – hence the neon blue light show. I’d like to go down to the beach and see it for myself, but I can’t walk that far anymore.
Never mind – maybe I’ll pop down there in my astral body. I’m sure to see some fairy activity if I do that!
NB – The Slapstyx is FREE on Smashwords through July. This seaside adventure is a great summer read for kids, so pick up a copy in time for the holidays!
The Literate Lurcher 
Hope you are all enjoying the fine Summer weather dear friends and staying cool in the shade. Much love to you from all of us here :o) xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Annabelle loves a hot summer, but we find it hard, so we stay indoors most of the time. Hope you are all keeping cool as well! You have plenty of lovely water where you are. xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good tips here to keep our canine friends safe in this heat. It’s definitely toasty out there!
LikeLike
Absolutely – and we don’t want to be toast! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
What an awesome moth! On the subject of dogs I have seen people exercising dogs in the blazing heat – ours either go out in the morning cool or late in the evening, after the sun has gone down. They always finish their walk with a dip in the stream.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We go for a walk in the evening as well. Pearl enjoys a dip in the river in Parkmill, which is just below us.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How lovely!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is an amazing moth. Some good tips there Millie. I take Rufus and Buster out in the mornings before it gets really hot, but once or twice I have overslept and it has been hot on our way back. There are a few streams on one of our walks but I heard today that some dogs have been poorly after drinking river water, so I will do another route. The neon light show looks incredible.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it’s worrying about the river water. Our Lurcher friend Freda is very unwell at the moment after drinking it. We’re crossing our paws that we stay well, as sometimes we just can’t stop ourselves having a good old drink out of the river when we’re thirsty on a walk.
LikeLike
I hope Freda gets well soon. You and Pearl take care dear Millie x
LikeLiked by 1 person