My dog is active but not eating in this extreme heat. 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!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If the temperature becomes too hot and humid, this can certainly affect a dog's appetite. It is important to ensure that the inside temperature is maintained to a nice cool and comfortable temperature. You can add chicken broth or beef broth to the current food and see if this helps entice Dollar. If there is no improvement after doing this, I would recommend having Dollar examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

I'm sorry to hear that Precious isn't feeling well. It is very common that dogs will have a decreased appetite when it gets too hot for them. And this can last for a little while. Our air conditioning did not work for a day last summer and it took a couple of days for my dogs to get back to normal. So, if Precious is otherwise feeling and acting normally, it may just take her a little more time for her appetite to return to normal. Depending on what food you are feeding and how it is preserved, another problem we can have with dry food that is exposed to high temperatures is that the oils can start to go rancid. I would not expect it to be a problem after only a couple of days, but that is also something to be aware of. I will often have owners buy a new bag of the same food to see if their dog will eat that. That will sometimes tell me if the bag of food is starting to spoil. If Precious develops any other signs such as lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea or her appetite continues to decline, I would recommend having your veterinarian examine her. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that she feels better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If Coby is lethargic and not feeling well, I would have him examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. He may be dealing with an infection or have something else going on that needs to be diagnosed by a vet. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Heat could defenitely cause your puppies to not want to eat. With that heat it is very important to have an area of shade for them to hide, as well as free access to cool water at all times. Ideally, have a sprinkler or some water source (kiddy pool filled with water) that they can go in to cool down. Dogs overheat very easily and can get very sick with overheating. Best of luck with your little ones.

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I recommend that you take your dog to see a veterinarian. It sounds like he needs immediate care if he is not eating, he is lethargic and may have a fever. This sounds like a serious condition that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. Your veterinarian will perform a full physical exam and determine what additional testing may need to be done (xrays, bloodwork) to give you a better idea of what treatments are needed. Good luck.

Hi ! It might be that Gemma needs to adjust to the heat. I would give her some time, we often don’t eat as much when the weather is hot. Just make sure you stick to a routine, offer her food and leave it down for 20 minutes then remove it untile the next meal. Always leave plenty of fresh water available and if worried have her checked over. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach !