Water is the most essential nutrient for life. Restricting a dog’s access to water, especially when they are working and playing hard in hot weather can be a recipe for heat stress or worse yet heat stroke. Dogs cool themselves by panting and by sweating on the pads of their paws. About 60% of the heat dissipation occurs via water evaporation from the respiratory tract. If your dog gets overheated first try to cool it down by getting it into the shade, applying cool water to the pads of the feet, chest, front legs, and groin area, slowly walking the dog, getting in front of a fan or air conditioner. You can also run cool water over the dog or mist it, but don’t submerge it. After the dog has cooled down some you can start to offer small amounts of cool (not ice) water every 10-15 minutes or so. Gulping large quantities of water can lead to vomiting. Preventing overheating in the first place is by far the best medicine.
