Barb, is he coughing or anything? Our older dobie was doing the same thing and coughing and we found out she had developed a heart problem and her lungs were filling with fluid and thats why she was throwing up the fluid. They said it is common for large breeds to develope as they get older. She is fine now with the heart medicine they gave her. If he is thirsty he will drink from the bucket as long as the water is clean. Maybe you could get him a large crate to stay in when you are gone so he can stay inside during the day? The heat does get to them more as they age.

No, he isn't coughing or anything. It is time for his check up and shots so I will talk to the vet about it when I go next week.
He is ok inside the house and doesn't need a crate.

I'm keeping an eye on him and he's looking good and doesn't show any signs of anything being wrong with him.

Barb, how about installing a doggie door so he can go in and out when he wants? Best thing we ever did for our dogs was to install one. They can be locked for those times you don't want the dog to come in, or go out.

The older & larger the dog the easier to get heat stroke. My neighbors young, healthy rot/boxer mix died last summer after her usual run on the beach. She acted normal when they were out but started vomiting when she got home. Vet said it was too common in the summer in Texas.
Tally HO!

At least provide your dog with a shady place outside out of the sun. Clean water outside daily is a definite must. Those bigger dogs sometimes have a hard time getting around as they get older, especially in the heat. Maybe a dog door would be a good thing so it would be easy for your dog to get inside to cool off.

Our vet lost his bull mastiff to heat stroke a couple years ago. He said they provided an air conditioned dog house outside, but the dog had hip displaysia. One hot summer day, he couldn't make it to his dog house to get cool and collapsed in the yard. The vet's wife called him at work and the vet techs came to help bring him in. As much as he tried to revive him with IV's, he had to put him down two days later because he was not waking up and not responsive. He said that was the hardest thing he has ever had to do as a vet.

Thank you for replying. We're unable to install a doggy door cause it's a glass door (patio) and I don't think it would be worth it to tear out part of the brick wall to install a doggy door. When he does go I will not be getting another large dog.

He was in the shade and it still seemed to be to much for him. So he'll just stay inside while it's hot out. He's good inside, only thing he does is get on the couch which I've tried everything to keep him off. I've put stuff on the couch's and in front of the couch's but if we're not here he'll get up on them anyway, so it's not really to bad.

I know dog's of his size don't live long lives and it's not like we have company over much and for sure we don't entertain. Just pretty much DH, me, our dog's and a few friends with dogs that understand :) and grand kids that love the dogs giving them hug's and kisses.

They make doggy doors for sliding patio doors. That's what we have. We got it used ...

Here is a link that might be useful: doggie door

Barb, I have the same thing going on here with my plott hound and I sympathize with you. He's older and he's having more trouble getting around these days. The heat is really getting to him. So, if I have to run errands I try to do it in the morning where I can be home before it gets really, really hot and let him inside. I'm even trying to convince my husband to put off vacation until it's cooler this fall because I'm afraid my dog won't make it if he's outside all day. We wouldn't have any one to watch him except for visits morning and night.

I was hoping that if I left him outside during the morning hours that he'd adapt a little at a time, but once the temps get up there, he's just miserable. Ceiling fans on the patio are just not enough for him. And like your dog, as soon as he comes in, he heads straight to the water bowl and fills up. In the past, he has thrown up right away. So, I try to limit his intake when he first comes in. Just like people, I guess, it's not good for us to drink large quantities fast when we're close to heat exhaustion.

All we can do is take care of our 4-legged kids and have them inside with us. You can ask you vet for some more ideas, too. Good luck with your buddy !

patty

I grew up in Houston. My parents ( whose parents were all from Europe)taught me that dogs live outside...the end.So I married a New Yorker with a dog. I insisted this dog live outside/was revolted by the thought of dog/dog hair in the house. This dog would go into shut sown mode if my husband went out of town. No eating/drinking etc. So we went to San Antonio for a few days and came home to find dog all but dead in July heat. The dog ended up dying from multiple organ failure. We NEVER had an outside dog again. And now I think it is so cruel to leave a dog out in the summer and winter. I have watched our neighbor in back leave the dogs out when it was 16 degrees. Horrible. I love my sweet Penny, a Jack Russell mix sitting right here next to me on my recliner! Bring your dog in.

yummykaz, The hair bothers me A LOT but have learned to deal with it most of the time. This is one reason I will not have another big hairy dog. It is not fun trying to keep the house clean.
I too grew up that dogs lived outside not inside but they did have a good dog house and we did bring them in if it was below 32 degrees, freezing rain.

Now that our kids are grown our dog's are of kids, my daughter calls our dogs Pampered Pooch.

The young dog goes swimming when she get's hot or when she just wants to swim she jumps in the pool. She has gone swimming in Feb. Guess she just couldn't wait any longer LOL. She'll jump in the pool and come to the door dripping wet wanting inside, I keep telling her she can't come in wet but she doesn't listen LOL.

Roselee, we have french doors so I'm not sure of the cost to replace them with a dog door in it.

My close friend's parents live in Laredo. They were here in SA not too log ago for the weekend and left their 3yr old bulldog in the care of their live-in housekeeper. The hc left the dog outside for a couple hours only and he began acting very lethargic. They returned home Sunday after the hc called them Sat night and by the time they got there he had died, from being outside only a couple hours. You'd think a beefy dog like a bulldog could take it but the vets said they are especially prone to heat stroke and should be indoor dogs.

I'll never have a dog door again as once some neighbor dogs got into the yard and came in the dog door whilst we were on vacation. One of the two actually *ate* our cockatiel and severely injured the african grey. The bill to have the entire house *cleaned* was $5K. You can't even imagine the dame those two dogs did. Thiking back to the sight I almost can't believe it. So, no dog doors here!

fwiw
Marc

I think I still have the sliding glass patio kind of doggie door at the shop from my old house. It wont fit here. If you want it email me and you can have it if hubby hasn't thrown it away. I keep a blanket over our couch so I can take it off and wash it if the dogs get on it. Easier than washing the couch, lol.

My only add would be to suggest that outside dogs that have proper protection, food, water and are adapted to the area as a breed can be fine outside except in unusual weather.

Most pets get in problems either from owners not setting them up right (and consistently) or from a sudden change (inside dogs left outside abruptly).

I grew up on a farm and we never lost an "outside" dog to the weather.

Mine stay outside all day at the shop but can go in if they want. Now that they are getting older they prefer to lie under the desk in the a/c, lol. I grew up with outside dogs as well and they never came in so didn't know what they are missing. Its harder on them to go in and out when they are older I think. They are just like us. Tend to be more needy as we age, lol.

When I was I child my aunt who had 16 acres in East Texas had several large dogs. She put large shallow troughs under the outdoor water spigots and left them to drip so the dogs would always have drinking water. She would also daily sprinkle down the places in the shade where they had dug out their laying down spots. Sometimes the dogs would lay in the water troughs when it was really hot. My neighbor now has a childs shallow swimming pool out in the yard in the shade for her large dogs to lay in. That might be something worth trying.

I think that dogs are like people..
it takes a while to reacclimate to the summer heat every
year. I live in Houston and it's not unusual for me to be
in the garden 6 hours a day. I can handle it because I
have gotten used to it. People who are inside all
day have a particulary difficult time and 20 minutes
outside can do them in. Dogs that live inside are
not used to the heat.
The children's play pool is a good idea, as long as it is
in full shade.... shallow water can get very hot...
OR......

I think you could put a beach towel on the sofa and
just let him be.

I now leave both the dog's inside when I have to leave the house. Speaking of older, I myself cannot take the heat like I once could. As a child I rarely went inside cause I love the great outdoors, only the cold winter kept me inside.
A couple of years ago I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and had found that I cannot be out in the sun or get to hot. It really makes gardening hard cause I can only do it in the morning and late evening's. Where before I'd work out there all day long.

Both of the dog's go out when I go outside, their like my shadow.

Don't let your dog temperature or he will have internal damage. There are so much details to post in this forum you can get all the informations on dog heat stroke symptoms in details at the link.

Hope this help. (^_^)

Here is a link that might be useful: dog heat stroke symptoms

Yeah, leave your big dogs inside, set up a bed over a air vent or in front of a fan, they are just going to sleep all day anyway. Take them out late at night and if they get too hot, spray them down with a mist.

Have a 100 pound hound, have had dobbies. This is normal for them. They may have to be hosed down several times a day, depending on the temp. Keep them inside in the air cause will get unwell. Haven't had to do the mist at all this year, cause he seldom goes outside. Dogs are smart that way.

My dog lays in front of the window unit all day until late at night, then wants to go out and play.

They will take care of themselves in the house. Just keep them inside with the rest of the ole folks.

Same problems here. Just lost one of my old dobies at the farm on our weekend trips there. I this nk the heat contributed greatly.

Make sure the water dish is in the shade or if no shade available, find some way to shade the dish.

I always provide my outdoor dogs with a $8-11 Walmart plastic kiddy pool to get into and cool off. My surviving doberman dunks in it several times a day or just even lays in it at times. Again, it needs to be shaded as out in the sun the water gets so hot, it's worthless to cool off.

We just installed a misting system in our barn for our horses and I also have a little 10 foot system in my small green house. That may be another answer to providing outdoor animals a cool escape from the heat. Sure does feel good!

I bought the large 32-foot mister at SAM's and the little ten-footer either at Lowe's or Home Depot, I forget which.

Connie