Boxers and hot summer weather

[Craig Boyle]

Hellooo Boxer folks,
Just this past weekend we had quite a hot spell in Toronto.
Our six month old boxer spent most of the day romping around the backyard with our neighbours dogs and having a great old time. The sun was quite intense that day so I tried to keep her in the shade as much as possible, but there is no doubt she did get a good dose of sunshine (as did I). Problems started on Sunday night, she drank a fair amount of water and within the hour began throwing it up...this happened again on Monday morning. She also seems quite lethargic and not quite "right". She also had no interest in eating much on Monday either.
She does seem better today (Tuesday), but is still a little sleepy looking and quite not as energetic as usual.
Soooo...I'm pretty sure it was the sun and lots of play she had on Sunday that made her a wee bit sick. If I dont see any more improvement by tonight I will bring her into our vet. Anyone have any comments about how boxers react to hot weather and sun?..or how can I take any preventative or protective measures in the future? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dpasto]

When my guys get over heated and then drink a lot of water at one time they will also throw it up. I monitor them and when I notice them doing this I get them to take a break from drinking.

 

[ElizabethH]

It can climb up to 110F here in the summer so I always make sure that the boys have access to inside the house. I am currently in the process of thoroughly cleaning the garage (puppy proofing) so they can also go in there and I can put out some dog beds on the cool cement if the house becomes too warm.
I also freeze ice blocks and put them in the water dishes (which are all over the place) to keep the water cool.
I think some folks also use sunscreen on their pups. Junior hates water so I doubt he would go in it but a kiddie pool in the shade might be nice.

I am not sure about your baby but it never hurts to scoot to the vet to take extra precautions! I hope she feels better!

 

[Alisha Mobley]

One way I keep my guys cooled in the summer (I did this yesterday after work although 80 degrees doesn't seem so hot now that I've read some of the other posts) is to turn the sprinkler on. They love to play in it, it keeps them cool and when they drink from it they can't gulp or over do it. Even if you've got one that doesn't care for water try it and see what happens. Sheeba used to be a big baby when it came to water but now enjoys the sprinkler just as much as Pru and Tyson.

 

[jazmin333]

its sounds like a little heat exhaustion. if they like the water, get a small plastic baby pool and fill it up in the yard. they can go and lay in it for the summer.

or use it as a drinking hole as mine do

 

[Craig Boyle]

Thanks Boxer Folks for the comments and suggestions.
Today Geddy is pretty much back to her normal self, it was definitely a dose of heat exhaustion for the past few days.
She loves the water and we are going to pick up a kiddy backyard swimming pool for her this weekend!

 

[Alisha Mobley]

Originally posted by Craig Boyle

She loves the water and we are going to pick up a kiddy backyard swimming pool for her this weekend!

I tried the kiddy pool for mine but they wouldn't get in it and Tyson thought it was more fun to pull it around and try to shake it while he watched the water splash out. They ended up haveing it in about 20 pieces within a few days. Hope you have better luck than I did.

 

[buddy'smom]

Hi Craig
Since I am only a couple of hours from you I am pretty sure we share the same type of weather. What I have always done on the hot dog days of the summer, is to put my dog outside for their run and play early in the morning before the sun gets too intense (between 7 and 9 am). A walk at this time is also a great time as it is cooler. Depending on the heat, I try to keep them out for the full two hours. For the rest of the day, I keep them in the house only to go outside for a pee and right back in. Once the sun has started to diminish (usually around 7 to 8pm) in intensity they are back outside for a big play and run again. I try to include some water play here with the hose etc. Buddy never liked the intense sun time of the day, and I don't think Kailee will either by the looks of it. This has been my summer time practice for coming up 8 yrs and it has worked well for us. Lots of cool fresh water, and the iceblocks is a fantastic idea.