25/06/2026
Some dogs have really struggled this week, especially in high humidity. Below is just one dog's experience.
This young cavalier KCS (4 years old) has been spending most of the heat wave lying on his cool mat. Very sensible. However, with high humidity on Tuesday he refused to eat or drink all day, was sick twice, and was booked into vets first thing in the morning. It was impossible to know if the symptoms were heat-related or due to something else. I came to visit him at 8.30am, with his owners very worried, although he finally had some wet food and water just before (the vet suggested to delay the appointment as he was showing improvement over night).
We are great friends so obviously he perked up when I arrived, but was clearly more subdued than usual. I then used a hose pipe to (gently) run cold water down his shoulders and belly for a few minutes. The owners actually tried to give him a cold shower on Tuesday, but as they did this from a distance I pointed out it would not have been very effective - the water needs to run CLOSE TO THE SKIN.
This time, cold water drenching worked great, and we had a short walk in the shade, as it was cooler outside in the breeze than inside his home. This was 9.30am on Wednesday, humidity was still high.
He was also happy to take some treats but not water during the walk, so, as expected, he had a good drink of water when we came back home.
By 10am and another cold water 'therapy' later, this little chap was almost back to full strength and his self-imposed guarding duties, going crazy at the postman across the road and bringing toys to play tug.
Such a relief for everyone 🥳
