posted on June 13, 2005 06:08:58 AM new
My daughter has a 9 year old golden lab that's a bit overweight. Yesterday around 4 PM, we decided to take her down to the park for a walk. Where we were going it's about 5 degrees cooler. Even then it was still in the 80's. We brought along plenty of water for her.
About 1/4 mile into the walk, she started appearing tired so we decided to go back. About 1/2 of the way back, her back legs gave out and she collapsed. She was panting and drooling terribly. We stayed in that spot for about 10 minutes getting water into her. When she still couldn't move, Tiffany (my granddaughter for those of you who don't know it) and I ran full speed to the ranger's station about 500 feet away crying all the way there. The ranger on duty called other rangers and asked if we could get Summer to the station. Well, Summer weighs at least 80 lbs. By the time I got back to the dog, she had apparently bit her lip from panting so much and it was bleeding. Ken picked her up and walked swiftly the 500 feet to the station where we spent the next 45 minutes hosing her down.
Her skin beneath her fur was red as well as her eyes, her tongue (unusually red) and her belly felt hot. We were finally able to get her temp back to normal with the cool water. Ken had to drive the jeep through the park to the ranger's station where we had to lift her up into it.
When we got her home, she got a nice cool bath outside because she was a muddy mess. All night she just layed outside on our porch where it was cool. We slept outside with her.
Thankfully, this morning she's just about back to her old self. Her legs are still a bit shaky, but she's eating and is walking around.
This was a wake up call that even though we may not feel hot, our animals (especially old and overweight ones) feel the heat more than we do. They are bogged down with fur and can't tell us when they're too hot. What may seem like a good idea at the time, may not be. Think about it very hard first. Summer is spending the day in an air conditioned home today.
If it weren't for the quick thinking of the park rangers and their assistance in getting us a hose and water, Summer may not have made it. I plan on going back to that ranger's station this week and taking a special treat for all of them that helped us. They really went above and beyond the call of duty on this one!
posted on June 13, 2005 07:27:55 AM new
lol yellow-you're baaaadddd
Cheryl I'm glad your dog is okay-people who do not have pets cant imagine what they mean to their owners.I can tell you right now most pet owners like their pets more then most people LOL! During these last very few hot and humid
days we've had, my wife puts her Siamese cat "ginger" in our bedroom and lets the air conditioning run all day,so the cat is "comfortable"....can you imagine that running an air conditioner all day for a f*cking cat!!
Mean while she comes home and asks-Did you open the pool? Did you mow the lawn? Did you plant those flowers I got? yea she don't mind if I sweat my ass off working all day in the hot sun...
Cheryl-doing something special for the Rangers is a great idea-doesn't have to be expensive,and believe me being a public servant they will appreciate the gratitude!!
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Baseball season has started,but they have it all wrong.3 strikes and you're out,4 balls you walk.I can tell you right now a man with 4 balls could not possibly walk
[ edited by classicrock000 on Jun 13, 2005 07:50 AM ]
posted on June 13, 2005 08:15:24 AM new
LOL, Classic! Right now Summer is in my daughter's nice air conditioned house and I'm inside sweating my azz off. It's either that or be outside doing the same thing.
My daughter is going to bake a big batch of her oatmeal raisin cookies to take down there. We're also going to bake something that's sugar-free in case someone may be a diabetic. Those guys were really great!
posted on June 13, 2005 08:15:32 AM new
Cheryl wow, glad you dog is ok! And the ranger was great to do what he did
Another reminder
We had some 90 degree weather a couple weeks ago. I believe now NEVER to leave your dog in the car, well if your running into 7-11 or something, that would be ok with a DOG, but..
for the truley ignorant: There were a couple stories on the news when we had the heat. A girl left her 9 month old in the car at a casino. The security guards found her hours later, drinking. Another mother left her baby in her jeep in front of the liquour store, and someone jumped in and carjacked it with the baby, they got the car and baby was fine, but damn, what is wrong with these people? Both, of course, are getting some time courtesy of the King County Hotel (jail) I swear some really need some kind of license to have children
posted on June 13, 2005 08:46:31 AM new
yellowstone
posted on June 13, 2005 06:44:56 AM
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'Dogs and Heat'
Oh darn, I thought this was going to be another thread about Crowfarm. ""
Oh that was witty, yellow, almost as witty as "snaking" me and YOU getting kicked off.
But I see no one objects to your constant barrage of nastiness so I guess standards are certainly slipping in here...
Everyone sinking to the lowest point at the bottom of the pond.
posted on June 13, 2005 09:32:24 AM new
and look what we found....A CROWFART!!
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Baseball season has started,but they have it all wrong.3 strikes and you're out,4 balls you walk.I can tell you right now a man with 4 balls could not possibly walk
posted on June 13, 2005 11:43:25 AM new
"Now kick your right leg out and your left leg sideways and flail your arms all about."
do a little dance,make a little love..
get down tonight, get down tonight
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Baseball season has started,but they have it all wrong.3 strikes and you're out,4 balls you walk.I can tell you right now a man with 4 balls could not possibly walk
posted on June 13, 2005 01:00:20 PM new
Here's a very good website that explains Heat Exhaustion (what Summer had) and Heat Stroke and what to do if it happens.
Heat Exhaustion will lead to Heat Stroke if it's not taken care of right away. Heat Stoke can be deadly just as in humans. Whenever we have Summer with us in the car, we take a 5 gallon container of water. All the way home in the car, we were putting that water on her. I'm thankful we had it. Our car may smell like wet dog (yuk), but we still have Summer and I'll take the wet dog smell over losing her any day!
Thanks for the reminder tips. As a fellow dog owner, my dogs like being outside during the summer as well and this serves as reminder that our pets can not always tell us when something is wrong.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
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President George Bush: "Over time the truth will come out."
President George Bush: "Our people are going to find out the truth, and the truth will say that this intelligence was good intelligence. There's no doubt in my mind."
Bush was right. The truth did come out and the facts are he misled Congress and the American people about the reasons we should go to war in Iraq.
posted on June 14, 2005 04:26:20 AM new
Summer is steadily improving. She was walking better yesterday and had a bit more energy. She's better yet today. Her appetite is still not back to what it was, but that will probably take a bit of time. She is being babied, though, and seems to thoroughly enjoy that! For a lab, Summer is nearing the end of her life. I'm thankful that we've been spared her loss any sooner than necessary.
Helen
I was worried when Ken went to pick Summer up. His back is not in the greatest shape. But, between the two of us, mine is in worse shape. There is just no easy way to carry a dog of Summer's size. I think that Summer knows what we did for her, though.
