05/07/2026
Coming into summer time and increasing temps. Stay aware 🥵🐕
ARRRGH! Saw it again today in practice doing relief work. Collapsed working dog comes into the clinic and the techs immediately muzzle her with a tight “medical muzzle” because she’a a Malinois! These muzzles completely close the mouth and prevent panting. Don’t know what her initial temp was, but by the time they get her temperature, it’s 106 F and they think she might be a heat injury (it turned out it wasn’t). This dog, that turned out to be a neurological condition, was almost put into heat injury because they followed the “muzzle first” doctrine with working dogs. They also stereotyped this Malinois working dog as “dangerous” without the context that she was a veteran’s service dog!
Every clinic needs this type of muzzle, and to educate themselves on managing different kinds of working dogs in their clinic.
Please check out the link to a video on adjustable muzzles. This allows them to keep cool while ensuring safety at the time. https://youtu.be/xVhDUcHTbzk?si=LmvJhRjM9gxlRRwg
