She Scared Us

 

A couple of nights ago, Aqua scared us a bit. It was a hot day. Even with the widow air conditioners and the swamp cooler going, the house was warmer than I would have liked. Chad and I took Sophie for a walk as part of our daily exercise. When we returned, he decided to take the other dogs around the block. A little while after he got back with Aqua, she came into our room panting heavily, drooling, and whimpering. We thought maybe she got hurt on the walk. She has had issues with her paws on the back porch in the past. He took her after dark, but we didn't think of checking the temperature of the sidewalk especially since the other dogs didn't have a problem. As we observed her more closely on the bed, we realized she was overheating. I sent the kids to get the frozen meatballs (we keep them on hand in the summer to help the dogs keep cool). She seemed too disoriented to even know we were holding it in front of her. Then, we all got more scared. I laid next to her on the bed to try to keep her calm. Sean and Noel turned on the shower, and Chad tried to lead Aqua to the bathroom. She wouldn't budge and seemed to be getting worse. Then, he grabbed a towel, through it across the room to the kids, and told them to bring him a cold towel. Sean came back with a cold, wet towel and tried to cool down her paws knowing it is center for temperature regulation for dogs. When that wasn't working fast enough, Noel soaked the towel even more and draped it over her head and neck. Her breathing started to clow quickly and the drooling dissipated almost right away. A few minutes later, Chad went back to the kitchen to get the meatballs. When Aqua heard the freezer open, she shook off the towel and ran to him. Our girl was better! 

I don't know how to prevent this completely in the future. I will be giving the dogs meatballs periodically the rest of the summer when it is close to 100F. Chad will wait until later to take her for walks knowing she is more sensitive to the heat than the other dogs. If she starts acting disoriented, we will get her in a cold shower before she starts whimpering. Hopefully, these things will help her. (For anyone wondering, the water was full of cool water, and she drank some of it after the meatball.)