Max Randall breaks down which dogs struggle most in heat: flat-faced breeds with inefficient airways, heavy or giant dogs that generate excess body heat, thick-coated dogs, short-legged breeds staying near hot pavement, and puppies and seniors with poor temperature control. Even mild days can be dangerous for these groups.
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Yesterday we looked at this chart looking at the dangerous temperatures to take dogs out in. And if you're aware of this chart and you still decide to go out when it's red, you are a dick. Did you know there are some breeds that you probably haven't even thought of that are at risk even in amber temperatures? Hello, my name's Max Randall. Welcome to day 2 of the summer series, collecting a nugget of value each day until you can confidently lead your dog through summer. And here is everything you need to know about at-risk breeds. This time of year. So first I'm going to talk breed, but then we're actually going to talk about some under-the-radar situations. So the first ones are the flat-faced and brachycephalic dogs. These dogs have really short airways, making panting less efficient. And for those of you that don't know, dogs pant to cool themselves down. So these dogs are really shit at it. And there will be a video out soon on how to read if a dog is panting because they're warm or really hot. Next, we've got heavy and very muscular dogs. Things like Staffies. This one's a little bit obvious, but giant breeds, super big dogs, always panting anyway. Of course, you put them in hot temperatures, it's gonna suck. Dogs that also tend to be quite stocky and broad-chested, a lot of those dogs are also flat-faced like Bulldogs. Their body basically just really sucks at heat regulation. Next, we've got thick-coated but also double-coated dogs. One thing I think is really fascinating is people would consider a Labrador dog with quite a thin coat However, this is my sister's Labrador, who in the middle of winter will happily jump into a freezing cold river. And then there is my dog here, who actually has a thin coat, who gets cold when there's a bit of a draft. Don't underestimate how thick some of these coats really are. And then we've got dogs that have really short legs, basically very inefficient at moving, and also much lower to the ground, even more dangerous for those pavement walking situations we spoke about yesterday. And then we've got the under-the-radar ones. The first one is going to be puppies. Puppies just can't regulate temperature as well as adult dogs yet. Their bodies are still developing, they have less control over cooling themselves, and they can go from seeming fine to struggling very quickly. They're also idiots. And lastly, we have senior dogs. Older dogs often have reduced fitness, slower recovery, and hidden health issues that are causing issues as well. So those are the obvious ones, ones you could look up on the internet, for example. But there are dogs that I personally think are far more at risk and can be any breed of dog. So those are the ones we're going to talk about tomorrow.
