Bulldogs & heat

[amdeemer]

Now that summer is fast approaching, I am wondering about how much Archie should/shouldn't be outside when it's hot. We have several shady options in our yard & he loves to lay on the patio pavers as well since they're nice & cool, but I'm wondering how hot is too hot & what signs do I look for to determine if he's starting to overheat? We take him for at least one walk a day & they're usually pretty short. It's a little on the warm & sunny side here today so we just went around one block. He was panting quite a bit, but seemed okay & now he's asleep in front of the fan.

 

[ABEBD]

Hello,
I live in Arizona so my comments are more for out weather here. I'm sure others will reply from the East Coast. What I can tell you is that here in AZ, starting in middle May the time outside gets very short. Summer time is as follows; outside for potty break at 5:30 for 10-15 mins, inside...out mid morning for 5-10 mins, inside again...outside later afternoon (5:00) for 5-10, inside, eat, out again for 5-10, inside...out at 9:30-10pm >>>maybe 10 mins.
Inside A/C 99% of the time. No parks, no walks.

Non-summer schedule could be outside as much as 1-2 hours depending on the month in fall and winter. Here our winters are No-snow, nights down to mid 30-40 and day up to 50-60. They Love to lay out in the sun but can even over heat in that temp.

When they are out, never take you eyes off of them.

Good Day~

 

[Bulldozersma]

Great advice from ABEBD. I know someone well here in Utah that lost there EBD in heat less that 75 degrees. You need to not only watch the heat but also the humidity. There are people that will post I'm sure with all of the signs of overheating. I know some of the ones I look for are - foaming around the mouth, lethargy, heavy breathing. I always err on the side of caution with Bocephus - never let him sun himself and he is never outside in any heat without direct supervision. Even in the shade it can be too warm for them.

 

[Bendy]

Hi I live in England so our weather varies, bulldogs can overheat very quickly, so it's best to only walk them at the cooler times of day ie: early morning and late evening and keep the walks short, the rest of the time keep them in and let them out for toilet breaks. Last year we had a heat wave over here, I'd called into the vets to pick up some stuff, while I was in the vets I saw the breeder who we got spike from they were telling me they'd had to rush spikes mum in as she'd overheated on her walk, she'd not even been out for ten mins, thankfully she recovered.

 

[Davidh]

I would only take him for a walk early in the morning when it is cool. In the summer here in Texas, we do not go for walks in the summer. They go out side only long enough to do their business and right back in. Some times in the morning we will let them side out side and sun for about 10 to 15 minutes as long as it's not too hot yet.

 

[chaygirl79]

We are in Ga and my bullies are not going for walks right now. I am home all the time so they are always supervised. I have a kiddy pool outside for my kids and Roxy will jump in to cool off but diesel won't. He loves to be on the patio but when he is my back yard door is wide open so I can see him and hear him . He normaly will walk in the house after 5 mis and go to our guest bathroom too cool off ( we have hardwood floor everywhere other then the bathroom and this cools him off) .
Last year my daughter took Roxy for a walk and did not know how fast they can overheat. She walked her down ( two blocks) to the neighborhood pool and then through the wooded trails back home . It wasn't too hot but very humid and roxy collapsed infront of my house. I think two more min longer and I would have to drive her to the er! However I was fast and put her in the tub with cold water/rags etc. since then my daughter knows not to walk them in the summer !!!


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[Vikinggirl]

Hi, you've already been given excellent advice. Bullies are very sensitive to any extreme temperatures hot or cold, and also can overheat from too much exercise. In the summer months when it's hot, we walk our guys early in the morning, and again in the evenings after dinner when it's cooler out, and only for about 15 or 20 minutes, or we will take them down to the park and let them run for 15 to 20 minutes to get some exercise and play time, but only when it's cooler. During the day, they go out every 4 to 5 hours, but only to go potty, and then back inside in the AC. We will take them with us in the car, to do short errands and when we go to their store Petsmart. Lol. They are in the air conditioned car, and then go into the store with us. In the winter, we do go on walks but again have to be careful with the extreme cold and snow, especially with their paws. The best times for temperatures and to be out with them is in the Spring and Fall, they can stay out for longer periods and enjoy the parks, but you still have to watch how long they play or exercise, so they don't get over exerted or panting, also make sure they have fresh water to drink while outside, or after exercising, but be careful that they don't drink too much water either, as they can get bloat. It is very important to limit their time outside during extreme temperatures, and they should never be left alone, and always supervised.

 

[g8erjackie]

I'm in Washington, DC (so basically a hot, humid swamp in the summer) and Ruckus loves to be outside, so it's tough because I want to give him his outside time, but he doesn't totally know his own limits so I have to keep a watch on the time. If it's a milder morning with a breeze we might be outside (on a walk or at the dog park) for 30 minutes, but 15-20 minutes at a time is usually his limit in the heat. I recently bought him something called a Kool Collar which is a collar made of a mesh material and it comes with a cold pack you freeze and insert into the collar. You can also fill it with ice cubes if you're outside. This seems to help keep Ruckus comfortable enough to join us outside for lunch on the patio of a restaurant, but won't necessarily allow him to run in the heat for prolonged periods of time.