Dog Days of Summer! Cooling a Hot Dog

As the summer weather comes, so comes the heat. In Chinese Medicine, heat is one of the Five Elements called Fire. The Fire element manifests through the heart, small intestine, pericardium and the “triple heater”, which controls internal body temperature. When Fire is deficient, it can show up as chills, shivering, poor circulation, numbness of the limbs, nasal congestion and sluggish digestion.

In the Summer months, when heat is the highest, we see an Excess of Fire. This can show up as painful joints, skin infections/hot spots, urinary tract infections, constipation, anxiety and sleep disturbances. When your dog is hot, he will seek a cool place to lie, like on the tile floor. He will pant a lot and drink more water to cool himself. He may have red, inflamed areas (hot spots) on the skin.

*Be careful in summer, because dogs can easily overheat. We see this especially in short-nosed breeds such as pugs, bulldogs and Boston terriers, and also thick coated breeds like huskies and malamutes. Signs of overheating (hyperthermia) are:

Excessive panting
Bright red tongue and gums
Excessive drooling
Vomiting or diarrhea
Disorientation or confusion
Seizures
Weakness and Collapse
*If your dog is displaying these symptoms, cool him off immediately and seek veterinary care.

Chinese herbs and acupuncture are used by holistic veterinarians to cool and balance the Fire element.

Here are some things you can do at home to help cool your pet and keep Fire in balance on those hot days of summer.