As you are here, you might have been planning to bring a little pooch in your family, and thus might be studying details about the working of their internal system. For instance, how do dogs cool down in hot weather, or how exactly do dogs face sunny days.

Even if you are not planning to adopt a puppy, we all must be aware of every single tiny detail about these fluffy animals in this era. You will be surprised to know that U.S pet ownership statistics show that 38.4% of households own dogs while other pet’s ratio, including cats, is much more lesser.

Whether a canine comes from a German shepherd bloodline or a bulldog bloodline, dogs' faithfulness and loyalty have won millions of people’s hearts.

Now, let’s get back to the matter. Did you wonder how dogs cool off when they are hot? 

This question seems interesting as you surely haven’t noticed sweat ever over a dog’s hairy body. 

So, basically, there are three ways of temperature regulation inside their body. Let’s go in-depth!

3 WAYS OF COOLING DOWN

Sweating Through Paw Pads

You already know dogs do not sweat like humans when they feel hot, while the reason behind this is that dogs tend to possess very few sweat glands(Merocrine glands). This is actually completely fine for them since unlike humans, dogs do have a few more options given for their temperature regulation.

Now, the matter of fact is that "those very few sweat glands" are located under dogs' feet rather than being located on their body. The canines hence sweat and cool down through their paw pads.

You might have often seen footprints of dogs directing you somewhere to a nearby location. That is because that dog had been feeling hot and was sweating. However, this sweating through paw pads plays a very tiny role in cooling down the temperature of a canine's body, dogs mainly cool down through PANTING! Now, 

What is Panting?

Panting can be declared as the primary way of controlling the temperature regulation of a dog’s body.

When dogs pant, they usually breathe heavily with their mouths open. As they breathe heavily, the moisture on their tongue evaporates, consequently cooling the tongue and the blood-flow through the tongue. Panting also evaporates the moisture from nasal passages and lungs.

During panting, an enormous amount of water can evaporate in a very short time. So, make sure your little fluffy friend intakes a sufficient amount of water during hot days.

Dogs also pant when they get excited or stressed, or when they feel uncomfortable. So do make sure your dog’s panting is normal.

The Third And The Last Way: Vasodilation

This is an internal kind of temperature regulation that occurs to happen around a dog’s face-blood-vessels.

During vasodilation, the blood vessels around the dog’s face expand, bringing the hot blood nearer to the skin. The heat exchange occurs and thus the body of the canine cools down. This is the second primary way of thermoregulation and is more effective for dogs that are being overheated from exercise, rather than by direct sunlight.

TIPS TO MAKE YOUR DOG STAY COOL

Despite the natural ways of thermoregulation inside a dog’s body, there is still a risk of heatstroke in summer. To protect your dog from heatstroke during hot days, do follow these tips as much as possible:

• Avoid exercising your dog.
• Switch on the fan/Ac when you find your dog’s paws wet.
• Make your pooch stay under shade when taking it outside on a sunny day.
• Do not lock your furry friend inside the car.
• Walk your buddy early in the morning.
• Make your dog drink plenty of water.
• Use cooling towels to cool your fido.
• Make your dog enjoy the paddling pool.

FINAL WORDS

Keep checking and taking care of your furry friend, especially in summer seasons. These natural ways cool the body internally only so; cool down your dog externally as well by following the tips mentioned above.

Reminder: Next time when you see an outdoor dog sitting and breathing heavily taking its tongue out, don't forget to give her some water!