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When I am not home, I keep the central air at 76 degrees. The house is shady but when I came home last night the female was panting a lot (Not usual for a shar-pei, they only pant after running/excessive exercise)
Should I leave it cooler for them?- they have water 24/7 but I am afraid they may have a problem getting overheated....any thoughts? Thanks.
Its possible she overheated. Is it the first time? She may have just been going bonkers when you were away. When we had AC that worked (sigh) we kept it at 70, but 6 degrees should be a huge issue. But I dont know that breed well enough.
maybe you can try cutting her hair. do not cut it shorter than an inch short...
Isn't fur an insulator for temperature extremes?
I keep my a/c on about 68 on hot nights when I'm at work. My mutts seem comfortable, although I do remember when one BC mix was younger, he got wild and chased his brother around and couldn't cool off- panting minutes after play ended. I wrapped him in wet towels, etc. (And I know how he feels... humidity and summers here in the East, ehhh.)
maybe you can try cutting her hair. do not cut it shorter than an inch short...
Isn't fur an insulator for temperature extremes?
I keep my a/c on about 68 on hot nights when I'm at work. My mutts seem comfortable, although I do remember when one BC mix was younger, he got wild and chased his brother around and couldn't cool off- panting minutes after play ended. I wrapped him in wet towels, etc. (And I know how he feels... humidity and summers here in the East, ehhh.)
I think this is a common myth that people think long hair insulates in hot temperatures. Just imagine wearing a fur coat on a hot day. You're dog does not need all that hair in the summertime. A good trim really helps a lot. On warm days, when I take my dog for a walk, I always hose her down and give her a good soak to keep her cool in the sun. Dogs don't like heat.
Coats server a number of functions, one is to keep the cold out, and the other is to keep the extreme sun off them. If your dog has long hair, leave it.
We keep our temperature around 71, and we always make sure to leave them some icy-cold water when we leave. We never had problems with our dogs, maybe you should just keep your house a little bit cooler.
My female pants more when she is coming into heat. We keep a kiddie pool with water for the dogs to cool off in. Also, Our groomer said not to cut our dogs fur because it only comes in thicker. (we have goldens)
maybe you can try cutting her hair. do not cut it shorter than an inch short...
She is a horsecoat sharpei (her hair less than 1 inch)
you cant cut it- her belly has no fur , so she should be the least affected by heat- Wacky is a bear (long) coat pei- and he seemed fine-I am just hoping it isnt her heart-
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