My dogs are outside in the heat, sad and not eating. What can I do?

Hello there,

Sorry to hear about your situation. That sounds tough in this summer heat.

It's normal for them to eat a little less when it is hot, but they should still be maintaining their body weight. If they are losing weight, then it may be too hot for them to thrive and you may need to find a situation to house them indoors.

So tips for keeping them cool!

There are a lot of warnings on the internet about not giving dogs cold water and frozen treats. This only applies to dogs that are severely heated and suffering heat stroke. As far as a healthy happy dog that's just hot, frozen treats and ice cubes are perfectly fine and can encourage appetite in the heat.

Many dogs like to play with ice cubes! You can freeze kibble, chicken broth, and other fun things in the ice to make cheap, chilly toys.
I also like to make big ice blocks in the freezer with tupperware containers, so that when I put the ice block in the water bowl, it takes several hours to melt instead of ice cubes that melt within a few minutes.
You can also make mixtures of dog kibble and yogurt or peanut butter to stuff into Kong or other treat toys to make for a cold snack as well.

If you can play with them with a water hose, or offer a kiddie pool, they may enjoy that as well.
I would also try to keep on top of brushing your German Shepherd regularly to reduce the amount of the fluffy and warming undercoat.

I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!