I have said to a variety of different people that I think it would be simultaneously helpful and not so helpful if animals could talk. If they did have the ability to speak, they could inform us when they need something or perhaps aren’t feeling their best self. At the same time, however, specifically in the context of dogs, I firmly believe we wouldn’t have much peace as they would always be asking to play if they had the ability to speak.
I was having this conversation with my sister a little while ago, but instead of discussing the pros and cons affiliated with talking animals, we were chatting about how dogs are not able to verbally let us know when they’re on the verge of overheating. They can, however, let us know in different ways, and I thought I would share what to look for with all of you in hopes of preventing any pups from overheating this summer.
When dogs are warm, they pant. Most of us already know this, but the placement of their tongue when it comes to panting is key. Normally, when a dog is hot, it will pant with its tongue hanging out of the front of its mouth, beneath its snout. When a dog is getting too warm, it will continue to pant, however, its tongue will hang out the side of its mouth. This is an indicator that the dog is becoming too warm. When a dog is at the point it is, in fact, overheating, it will still pant, but its tongue will be pulled back inside its mouth, toward its throat.
You would think that pouring cold water over the top of a dog is the most effective and quickest way to cool them down, but it isn’t, and furthermore, it is incredibly dangerous. When a dog is hot and you pour cold water over them, the water becomes trapped between its hair and its skin and gets progressively warmer. Essentially, they’re cooking themselves from the inside out. The best way to cool a dog down is to have them stand in cool water.
Let’s make sure our pups stay cool this summer in the safest way possible.
ontheedgeofeverything 
