tip for pet owners in the hot months to come

[radfringe]

we make big Ice-loafs...

we use small cool whip containers, fill with water and freeze them

in the morning before we leave for work we put one in each of the water bowls, and add regular water to fill up the bowl

Ice-loafs are too large for the dogs to grab and drop on the floor so the ice stays in the bowls, melts slowly over the course of the day and keeps the water cool

[RobertSeattle]

1. My tip: Get a baby pool and fill it up

Dogs love this as a way of keeping cool. One of mine just gets in after a walk and sits down for 5 minutes.

Put a cup of Clorox in it once every couple of weeks to kill algae growth if you don't want to dump out the water and refillt too often.

[radfringe]

2. we've got one in the kennel

we put them in the big kennel when we are working outside, cuts down on the barking and scratching to come out and "play" with us

half the kennel is shaded by big trees, and they have their pool

[arwalden]

10. "And my dog's rear ends are whiter-than-white, and brighter-than-bright."

Trust Clorox!

-- Allen

[RobertSeattle]

14. Yes - wait a bit until the dogs get in.

I think Clorox (the Chlorine actually) disappates to the atmosphere pretty quickly - my apolgoies if this isn't environmentally correct.

[arwalden]

19. Yes It Does...

For the times I was out of de-chlorination tabs, I'd let new aquarium water just "sit" exposed to the air--to allow the chlorine to dissipate for 24 hours--before adding new fish to it.

-- Allen

[goclark]

16. Clorox

Is it ok to wash add a little clorox to the dish washing soap to wash the dogs dish?
Someone told me that it helps keep the bacteria out.
yes/no?

[goclark]

17. Clorox

Is it ok to wash add a little clorox to the dish washing soap to wash the dogs dish?
Someone tod me that it helps keep the bacteria out.
yes/no?

[baldguy]

3. I did that before.

Zelda Dog picked it up and had a grand old time draging it all over the house. Left it to melt in the front parlor.

Maybe giving her a three-ft long 4x4 piece of wood to play with in the yard was a mistake.

[goclark]

4. Cut their hair short

My little cutie looks kinda funny with his short hair cut but I know he feels a lot better!
Thanks for the other tips.

[Unperson 309]

8. Careful There...

A dog's coat (except for breeds designed for cold climates, like Huskies) is designed to insulate the dog from the heat as well as the cold... If you clip a dog short in sumer, she is more likely to be sunburned.

What I'd do is leave the back hair longish, to protect the skin from the sun) and then clip the belly and sides closer for cooling effect.

Of course, if you have a long haired pooch and plenty of water, leave the hair alone... it holds the water and is wonderfully cooling after a splash.

309

[Robb]

12. Actually, Huskies too.

Siberians are comfortable in an astonishingly wide range of temperatures. It works like a thermos; if they don't generate too much of their own internal heat (e.g. sit around all day in the summer), they keep cool until sunset. :)

[goclark]

15. Thanks

I'll take your tip on leaving the back hair a bit longer in summer. My problem is that the hair gets matted in summer and they have to cut the matting out.

I now have a wonderful brush/comb combination that he is learning to adjust too...smiles.

[TX-RAT]

5. Great tips

I us them all. It regularly hits 110+ here in west TX. I've even set up misters for our cows.

[Padraig18]

6. Wo do all those.

They LOVE the pool, and we do the 'giant ice cube', too. We also bought a cheap box fan, and wired it to the kennel fence at 'dog height'. :)

[Hand]

7. we use...

The large size blue ice coolers. They last quite a while and are too big for our pet bunnies to chew holes in. Two-litre soda bottles filled with water and frozen work pretty well, too.

:hi:

ON EDIT: They don't go in the water bowl, they're just there for them to snuggle up to and keep cool.

[rbnyc]

9. Good tip.

My cats are already feeling it. One of them's been under the bed for 2 days.

Poor kitties.

[DemoTex]

11. Capt. DemoTex's tips for flying pets (mainly dogs and cats).

1. Do not ship your pets by airline during the summer months. Period. Many airlines now embargo pet shipment during the summer months.

2. Mark the dog/cat kennel well with your name and address and the forwarding name and address, phone numbers, and your cell phone number (I would call the cell phone number from the cargo loading belt with news to the owner). Put the pets name in big letters.

4. Have I/D tags and (if possible) computer I/D chips on the pet. If your dog gets out of the kennel on the ramp at LAX, well ... use your imagination.

5. If you are not traveling with the shipped animal, ship on non-stop flights only. Never, ever ship an animal on a flight that connects through a hub. Watch the weather. Anticipate weather delays and cancellations at both ends. Ship on off-peak travel times.

6. If you are on the flight/flights with you pet, identify yourself to the flight attendant when you board. Have the F/A notify the pilots that "Bowzer" is traveling in a kennel cage in cargo. If you are lucky, you will have an animal-loving freak like me as captain. I would always go down and check on a passengers pet. Always. I would get water, if it were needed. I would report back, directly to the pet owner (at his/her seat) that I had personally verified that the pet was on board and in good shape. Likewise, if I saw a dog or cat being loaded, I would walk down and take a look-see. First thing I would look for would be the pet's name on the kennel cage. That way, when I heard Mrs. Smith tell the greeting flight attendant that her darling dog Bosco is traveling below, I could exit the cockpit and report on Bosco.

7. My best advice? Don't fly your pooch or kitty-cat. Too much can go wrong. As a retired airline captain, knowing what I know, I would never(except in extreme emergency) fly either of my two dogs. I drive my dogs. I have a Subaru wagon set up for them, I have a copy of AAA's Traveling With Your Pet, and I carry a big bottle of "Nature's Miracle."

[kevinam]

13. actually, it seems like I have heard that it is not a good idea...

to give dogs real cold water on hot days. Something about the temp diff is bad for them. I can't swear to it, but just something I seem to remember hearing. So many folks on this board seem to know a lot about dogs, anyone else heard that???...Kevin.

[DoNotRefill]

18. Hell...

we just shave our cats to keep them cool.