# Hot temperatures



## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

This is my first summer with a malt...the past few days we've had temps in the high 80's and 90's! This is sudden and feels kind of severe. I was just out back with one of my kids in the kiddie swimming pool and when I came in now feel so sick to my stomach! Ollie is feeling it too. He lays around on the tile floor and drinks lots of water. I haven't been walking him very far due to the heat. Is all of this normal? Any tips? I tried doing a search for "heat" and it came up with lots of hits for females in heat, lol. 

I'm also thinking of shaving him down. Although I've heard it mentioned that his hair actually keeps him cooler?? Not sure what to do on that...


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## Gemma (Jan 19, 2006)

I have a little tiny fan that I put on the floor and he always goes and sit in front of it and sooooo close







he loves it. I really need to get my AC fixed or just buy another one. it will be a hot one this year I think. you can also get those collars that you dip in water and it stays cool or a cool mat. I need to get one too.


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## nikkivong (Aug 25, 2006)

otis gets like that too... all summer last year he was laying on the tile part of the living room.... just make sure to always have water available for these little fluffbutts!


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

It gets hotter than heck here in North Carolina and Lady hates the heat. I usually cut her down really short, about 1/2 inch. I have never understood the keeping cool theory because Lady is obviously hotter with longer hair. Maybe this theory works with Malts with a very silky proper coat , but not with a coat like Lady's. She lies on the tiles more, pants, drinks water, etc. in longer hair. We would always do our walks very early in the morning and after sunset and avoid the hot sun during the day.


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

Pam - this is very normal, especially when the weather changes so quickly on you and doesn't give your body it's natural time to adjust gradually.

I've always had long coated dogs (Lhasas, Shih Tzus, Maltese, etc.) and have almost always lived where it gets very warm (HOT) in the summer (Phoenix, Boca Raton, etc.) 

In the summer, the dogs do lay on the tile more, drink more water, don't go outside as much and don't snuggle as much or lay as close in bed. As far as cutting the coat, it has never seemed to make that much difference. I don't believe that shaving them down is good for them, but a shorter summer cut never hurts.

With double coated dogs (Lhasas, Shih Tzus -- not Maltese), the dogs always seem to Blow their undercoat when it gets warm so fast, so that's a good indication that too much coat is too hot for them.


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## revakb2 (Sep 8, 2006)

Bogie is approaching his third summer in Florida. Hot and humid is not something Bogie likes. He will refuse to go out if it is too hot. We keep his coat fairly short. Long hair may help prevent sunburn, but short hair keeps them cooler on tile floors. When it's hot, Bogie lays on the tile floor laying against a stone travertine table. Walks are restricted to early morning and after sunset.


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## CathyB (Mar 10, 2007)

*<span style="color:#CC0000">It is very hot here also,I hate the extremes we had our heat on last week now the air







. We should all be very aware how easy our little ones can fall victim to heat exhaustion. For all you new furbaby owners read up on animal heat exhaustion and what to watch out for. </span>*


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## THE GiZ&THE CHAR (Dec 14, 2006)

I took the boys outside yesterday for about 30-40 minutes and it wasn't that hot but it was humid. I rarely like to take them outside (that is atleast not outside my neighborhood) because people walk there dogs in these grassy area out front and there's crap and piss and ant piles EVERYWHERE. I live in a small townhome community. Charlie's beard/'stash was soaked in his own saliva. I felt so bad. Also, when it's that humid outside, they ALWAYS come in doing that hacking/sneezing stuff like they can't breath. So I try to avoid that. It's annoyingly 'almost' always humid here in Miami so I'm effy about taking them outside even though I'd love to more often cause they love it.


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## bentleyboy (Dec 13, 2006)

We are coming into our winter now and this last summer was B's first. He loved chasing the hose. The water cooled him down and he got tons of exercise. He has not worked out why we don't play catch the water as much now that its getting colder. He still comes home from day care and heads for the hose pipe. Try that. He loved it .


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## PreciousPrince (Feb 27, 2006)

Pam, I've read that the Maltese breed in general is very sensitvie to heat/cold. I know Perri certainly is. In the summer he can't be outside for long at all before he starts really panting, even if it's not extremely hot out. He has to go out when it's almost dark out for walks and stroller rides. He's fine inside though--a comfortable A/C temp for me is fine for him too. Is Ollie doing this even with your A/C on? Fay had a good idea about the cooling collars and mats. I've seen the cooling collars befoe, it's like this soft little thing that you put in the fridge or freezer and then put around their necks. Also, there are all kinds of cooling mats, and would def. be good if Ollie is miserable even in the A/C. Just do google search and I'm sure you'll find lots of options.


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## Kara (Apr 29, 2007)

Milly was like that in the summer here, I had her hair cut really short, and when she was hot and miserable I would pop her in the batha dn wet her with luke warm water and then left her like that, she stopped panting and was nice and cool. She loved it.


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## Littlemans Mom (Apr 6, 2005)

Indy is the same way, he doesn't like it too hot or too cold







We have had the a/c on all week so Indy has been fine, at first he was a bit chilly even







Just do what you are doing and keep plenty of water out for him to drink and he will find a cool place to rest







They usually do love tile floors about now as well because they are so much cooler. If he feels overly warm you can also pat him down with a cool cloth and he will feel much better


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## Deanna (Jan 14, 2005)

Poor little Ollie. Because Malts do not have the undercoat- the heat is a lot harder on them than other dogs. The undercoat/fur on a different breed actually helps them stay cool, but our little guys are more like a person with long hair! 

Last summer I got Wilson MicroCool mat from PetEdge. It works great- I even put my feet on it a few times to stay cool! You soak it in a sink full of cold water for 30 minutes and it stays cool for about 36 hrs or so- depending on just how hot it is. Wilson wouldn't lay on it, but he would put his head and front paws on it- which I think really helped him. I also aimed a fan at the tile floor where I put the mat and where he liked to lay. 

I also got him an Outward Hound cooling bandana for walks. When it was super hot, I didn't take him on long walks- he just couldn't take it. The heat seems to really bother him a lot more than the cold does. 

Wilson drinks out of a water bottle in a stand- so I would fill the bottle half way with water and freeze it, and then fill the rest of it with cold water. He really likes cold water. I also gave him shaved ice as a treat- which he really likes. 

Good luck!







I have a feeling that after the crazy winter everyone had we are in for a really hot summer. Hello global warming!


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