[Mirabella]

Mira has always panted with the hot weather but now it is so much worse. She is 13 so it also may be age-related. She is inside in the air conditioning and only goes out for a short walk and to pee and poop. She sleeps on her own bed but goes and lays near the AC vent at night.

I hate to have her clipped - what if she freaks out? And I hate the look of clipped labs. She is really furry for a lab and I have used the furminator to help get out the fur.

This panting is keeping me awake at night. She doesn't do it every minute but quite a bit.

Any ideas to help her??

TIA

 

[Garth]

Mira has always panted with the hot weather but now it is so much worse. She is 13 so it also may be age-related. She is inside in the air conditioning and only goes out for a short walk and to pee and poop. She sleeps on her own bed but goes and lays near the AC vent at night.

I hate to have her clipped - what if she freaks out? And I hate the look of clipped labs. She is really furry for a lab and I have used the furminator to help get out the fur.

This panting is keeping me awake at night. She doesn't do it every minute but quite a bit.

Any ideas to help her??

TIA

My vet suggested having 2 stainless steel basins for their water. Freeze 1 overnight & while that's thawing, have another in the freezer. They love their "iceblock" & it does help cool them down. Another thing you can do is keep a wet towel over her while she's laying down.

I hope you find something that works if this doesn't.

 

[labby]

Clipping won't help. They need their coat to insulate against the heat. I would first do a full blood panel to check how she's doing internally. There might be something going on besides the heat that is causing the panting. Panting is also a sign of pain.

If everything checks out with the blood, then you might put water in some 2 liter pop bottles and freeze those. Then when she's laying down, you can put them around her to keep her cool. Breeders do things like that for the puppies that are born in the summer.

Maybe get an osilating (sp - one of those moving fans) and have it pointed towards her at night. I know mine pant when I don't have the ceiling fans on. I've had to blow fans on newborn puppies in the past too.

The litter Quinn came from was born in August and they were the noisiest bunch until I figured out just how warm they were. Once I got out the ice sheets and the fans, they quieted down.

 

[kiddsmom]

They sell cooling beds and scarves for dogs.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12470

 

[Mirabella]

Labby - Mira has mild CRF which she has had for awhile. She doesn't pant in the winter - only the summer so I am pretty sure it is the heat.
Kiddsmom - I saw good reviews of the Cool Bed on Amazon so I have ordered one of those to see if it helps. I will also put a fan on her tonight.
Thanks, guys!

 

[georgie]

The fan may be a good idea. Stay cool Mira. She is a beautiful girl.

 

[justine]

What about a small kiddie pool with water in it for outside after a walk?? That always helps to cool the dogs off after our walks!

 

[Mirabella]

What about a small kiddie pool with water in it for outside after a walk?? That always helps to cool the dogs off after our walks!

She doesn't like to get in the water anymore for some reason -

 

[Yelloweyz]

Indy just turned 11 and is breathing heavier now that he's a senior citizen...what helps with him (especially at night when he shakes the whole bed with his breathing), is a fan aimed directly at him.... He even tells me now when he wants it on...He'll come into the office, growl at me, then look in the room where his fan is...then he'll pace and growl until i turn it on....if he's in my office and wants that fan on, he'll smack it with his paw....The turd is too smart for his own good...