Waggy Woodlands Dog Walk

Fabulous evening walk last night with friends from Barking Mad and the Forest of Marston Vale. Thank you so much to everyone that joined us. Coming along and paying your £5.00 raised enough money to buy and plant 6 new trees at the centre. :))

Due to the very high temperatures and wide range of dogs from puppies to old codgers we only walked a small portion of this huge site before chilling out at the forest centre for a burger, a drink and a natter. For more details on the Forest of Marston Vale project visit their website http://marstonvale.org/

Keeping Your Dog Safe in The Hot Weather

Symptoms of Overheating in Dogs

On a 29-degree celsius day it takes only 10 minutes for the interior of your parked car to climb to 39 degrees. In a half hour, it can reach 49 degrees. And leaving windows partially open doesn't drop the temperature inside the vehicle.

Keep in mind your dog has a higher body temp than you do and she can’t cool down as efficiently as you do, either. Your dog is designed more for insulation from the cold than cooling down in the heat.

You have sweat glands all over your body, but your dog's are confined to her nose and the pads of her feet. A dog that is heating up can only normalize her body temperature through panting, which just doesn't get the job done under extreme conditions. In a very short period of time, an overheated dog can suffer critical damage to her brain, heart, liver and nervous system.

Symptoms of overheating in dogs include:

Heavy panting	Elevated body temperature
Excessive thirst	Weakness, collapse
Glazed eyes	Increased pulse and heartbeat
Vomiting, bloody diarrhea	Seizures
Bright or dark red tongue, gums	Excessive drooling
Staggering	Unconsciousness

Some dogs are at higher risk for heat-related illness than others, including brachycephalic breeds (dogs with flat faces and short noses), older dogs, puppies, dogs that are ill or have a chronic health condition, dogs not used to warm weather, any dog left outside in hot weather, and dogs that are allowed to overexert themselves in the heat.

From Overheating to Heatstroke

If your dog's body temperature gets to 42°C or higher, heatstroke is the result. The cells of the body rapidly start to die. The brain swells, causing seizures. Lack of blood supply to the GI tract causes ulcers. Dehydration leads to irreversible kidney damage. All these catastrophic events take place within a matter of minutes!

In the early stages of a heat-related illness it can be difficult to assess your dog's condition, since it's normal for him to pant when he's warm or while exerting himself.

We can't stress enough how important it is for pet owners to take every precaution to prevent overheating. By the time a dog is exhibiting symptoms of heatstroke, it's often too late to save him.

How to Help an Overheated Dog

If you think your pet or any dog is experiencing heatstroke, you should take immediate action and move him to a cool area, preferably with air conditioning. At a minimum you should move him to a shady spot.

Next, try to determine his condition. If he’s standing, or if he’s at least conscious and panting, offer him small amounts of water to drink and take his temperature if possible.

If his temp is 40ºC or lower, remain with him in a cool environment, watch him carefully and keep offering small drinks of water. A large volume of water all at once might cause him to vomit, which will add to the risk of dehydration. When he seems more comfortable, call your veterinarian for next steps. The vet may want to evaluate your dog even if he seems fully recovered.

If the dog is unable to stand on his own, is unresponsive to your voice, touch or the sight of you, or is having seizures, check for breathing and a heartbeat. At the same time, have someone contact a veterinary hospital (or make the call yourself if you're alone with your pet) to let them know you'll be bringing him in right away. It's important to alert the clinic you're on the way so they can prepare for your arrival.

Begin cooling your dog down by soaking his body with cool water – cool, but not cold. Use a hose, wet towels or any other source of cool water that is available. Take his temperature if possible. Concentrate the cooling water on his head, neck and in the areas underneath the front and back legs. Carefully cool the tongue if possible, but don't let water run into the throat as it could get into the lungs. Never put water in the mouth of a dog that can't swallow on his own. Put a fan on him if possible – it will speed up the cooling process.

After a few minutes, re-check his temperature. If it’s at or below 40ºF, stop the cooling process. Further cooling could lead to blood clotting or a too-low body temperature. Get the dog to a veterinary clinic right away, even if he seems to be recovering.

Tips for Preventing Overheating

Provide plenty of fresh, clean drinking water at all times. If your dog will be outside for any length of time in warm weather, she should have access to complete shade. Periodically encourage her to play in the sprinkler or hose her down with cool water to prevent overheating.

If your dog has a long coat, give her a summer cut. Her fur can be shaved to a one-inch length to make her more comfortable when it’s hot. Just don’t go any shorter than an inch, because her coat protects her from the sun.

Exercise your dog early in the morning or after sunset, during the coolest parts of the day. Don’t overdo exercise or play sessions, regardless of the time of day. And if it gets to be 32°C, your pet should be indoors where it’s cool.

Don’t walk or exercise your dog on hot pavement. Not only can it burn her paws, but the heat rising from concrete or asphalt can quickly overheat an animal that is close to the ground.

And once again, never leave your dog alone in a parked car on a warm day. Leave her where she's cool, hydrated, and waiting in comfort for your return home.

K9 Kids Event Report by Lia with Jazz

We all had an amazing time at k9 kids today!  The theme was sports day and the 1st activity was a bean bag race where we had to run over jumps and through hoops and then grab our dog and let them do it but instead of a bean bag we used a treat bag! 

We also did relay race where we had to do spin for a bit then twist and then legs. The other great activities we did were a egg and spoon race, recall race, jumping bag race and lots more.  It has been one of the best k9 kids I have ever been to! 

Lia with Jazz

Free neutering for bull breeds!

The Mayhew Animal Home in London is offering free bull breed neutering. To qualify for the Free Bull breed neutering service, your dog must have the characteristics of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier (SBT) or SBT crossbreed. The scheme also incorporates other bull breeds such as the English Bull Terrier, American Bulldog, Bull Mastiffs and the Presa Canario.

This unique scheme was initiated by The Mayhew in 2006 to help reduce the chronic overpopulation of these breed types and stem the number of unwanted dogs arriving at rescue centres. The scheme is free to all, but The Mayhew is grateful for any donations that can be made towards the cost of the surgery, thereby enabling them to continue this vital programme.

http://themayhew.org/vet-clinic/neutering/

Subsidised Neutering

Did you know you can get subsidised dog neutering if you meet certain criteria?

Subsidised neutering is available from Dogs Trust for people on means-tested benefits within certain areas.

The scheme is available to anyone on a means-tested benefit (Income support; Jobseeker’s Allowance; Working tax credit; Housing Benefit; Council Tax Benefit; Pension Credit or a tenant of the NI Housing Executive) in any of the campaign regions; these are the North of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. There is a list of vets that are taking part in this scheme in each of these regions, and their details are available from the hotline on 0845 606 3036.

If you are on one of the benefits listed you simply take along some proof of your benefit when taking the dog in to be neutered, and the vet will only charge £30 in UK regions or £15 in Northern Ireland; the rest of the cost will be settled by Dogs Trust directly with the vet.

People who are not in receipt of one of these benefits, but are in need of help, need to write Dogs Trust a letter applying for assistance, showing proof of any other benefits they receive so they can decide whether to allow them to use the scheme or not. They consider each case on its own merits and will reply to all letters within a few days. If they can help, the applicant will be sent a letter to show the vet confirming that they are allowed to use the subsidised neutering scheme.

The address to write to is:

Campaigns Department
Dogs Trust
17 Wakley Street
London
EC1V 7RQ

TD Rally Comes to Broom

Sign up sheet obviously not below but it's in the cabin or call Lesley on 

07740 285 575

Waggy Woodland Walk - 17th July