I'm a first time Golden Dad and a first time dog Dad at that. I live in Phoenix, AZ and I came across a post earlier where his dog had hot spots. What are things specifically with Goldens I have to worry about in this heat. He's never really outside for more than 5-10 minutes. He gets in the kid pool all the time and I understand you have to let Goldens air dry, but they can't stay wet? I just want to be the best parent and don't want to wait till I get his next shot at the vet.
Ironically, hot spots don't really have anything to do with warm weather. They occur in any dog breed, and they usually look like an oozy scab. There's lots of threads on the forum you can search for. The biggest thing I'd worry about with hot weather is overheating. Be careful not to let him play too vigorously outside if it's warm. If you're going to be out in the yard during the day, keep it down to short burst. He'll likely be willing to sprint and play a lot but can overheat even after stopping exercise. You may want to buy a kiddie pool for him to play in. Our dogs love a pool and it doesn't usually get hotter than 90 here. The other concern is hot pavement. Living in Arizona, you'll have to make sure you go for walks very early in the morning or very late. You don't want your pups pads to get burned. A good rule of thumb is that if you couldn't walk around barefoot, neither should your dog.
Well I feel dumb lol I just figured it said hot spots and they happen here because the other guy said he was in AZ. I do have a kid pool and a full size pool (which he doesn't get in for now) and he's always in that. I just didn't know if there were things I would have to think about because of their coat.
The name is counter intuitive lol anything that causes a dog to scratch or lick a spot too much can lead to a hot spot. Allergies, fleas, dry skin, etc. There may be other weather related issues that I'm not familiar with. I'm used to dealing with constantly damp PNW weather, not dry heat.
I live on the NC Coast, it's very humid here and the sun is really strong, it also gets very hot here.
I make sure to only walk my boy early morning or later in the evening between 7:30-8:30 p.m. The pavement and sidewalk gets really hot very quickly. There was a similar thread and I posted a link to an article that is called the "5 second rule." Put your hand on the pavement or the sidewalk for five seconds, if it's too hot for your hand, it is too hot for your pup/dog, they can blister their paws in a very short amount of time and it's very painful for them if they do. I also go to the beaches here, the sand gets very hot, similar to the pavement.
We have very high humidity and dew points here, it really takes it out of you and your dog when your out in it, I limit my time, my dog's and drink plenty of water. I make sure my boy has plenty of water. August is our hottest month here, we have real feel temps in the 105-115 range, not uncommon for our humidity to be in the 85-95% range during August. We spend a majority of our time in the house in the AC until it cools off in the evening. We usually have a pretty good breeze here living on the Coast which helps some.
Some people think if they shave their Golden it will help them to be cooler, so not true. Their coats protect them from the sun and keep them cooler.
I'm on my 3rd Golden, my Bridge boy had one hot spot in his 15.5 years. My Bridge girl never had one and so far my current boy who is 7 has not had one.
I feed Purina Pro Plan for Sensitive Skin and Stomach, it is salmon, does not contain wheat, corn or soy. It has a lot of Omega 3s in it, plus I also give my boy a joint supplement along with Vit E and a fish oil tablet daily. I give him Coconut oil a few times a week also.
I also add Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar to his water, it has many health benefits. Here is the info for pets from their website-
Welcome to the forum. After swimming in the pool, be sure that the fine hair under his ears and around his neck are towel dried. I usually towel dry and brush this area because under the ear hair is prone to matting especially if wet. This is an area that will get hot spots especially if combined with a bug bite (for example) and then the wet hair on top of it. Also, if he is a swimmer, sometimes Goldens will develop an ear infection due to having ear hair and fold over (vs erect) ears. This tends to keep the moisture in the ear which can lead to problems.
You can use an ear cleaner (like Otiderm) which is ear maintenance, not a treatment for an infection, and will help prevent ear problems.
I spend a lot of time on grooming and it's also a good time to check over the skin for any potential problems.
Thank you both for your share of knowledge. I always try to dry the ears and neck but it seems to never dry lol I really appreciate the information to keep him in tip top shape
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