A Vet Told Us Why Summer Scares Her More Than Winter for Stray Dogs.
A vet sent us the thermal image above with one sentence: “This is why summer scares me more than winter for stray dogs.”
That sentence made us look beyond what the image shows.
What is happening inside the dog’s body as the heat keeps rising?
The answer begins with the way dogs cool themselves.
Dogs Do Not Cool Themselves the Way Humans Do.
Humans can release heat by sweating across a large area of skin.
Dogs cannot do that.
Veterinary sources explain that dogs have sweat glands mainly on their paw pads. Those glands play only a small role in cooling.
Their primary way of releasing heat is panting.
Panting increases airflow over moist surfaces in the upper airways, especially the nasal passages. As water evaporates from those surfaces, heat leaves with it.
But that tiny circled area creates another problem with every breath.
Panting Releases Heat by Evaporating Moisture.
That cooling system depends on evaporation.
Evaporation removes water from the body.
During prolonged exercise, panting and fluid loss can lead to dehydration and acid-base or electrolyte imbalances. Those changes can contribute to fatigue.
Water loss matters because panting relies on evaporation.
And water is not the only thing a dog can lose by continuing to move.
Every Step Creates More Heat. Until an Abandoned Dog Is Too Weak to Search for Food.
Muscle activity generates heat. So every extra step gives the body even more heat to release.
A dog with a home can stop. Water, shade and food are close.
An abandoned dog may have to keep walking just to find his next meal.
But every step creates more heat, and every breath costs more water.
Eventually, he can become too weak to keep searching.
And a dog that stops searching stops eating.
That Is Why Rescue Paws Helps Bring Meals to the Streets.
We cannot change how a dog’s body handles the heat.
But we can help put food where abandoned dogs already live.
Each Rescue Paws bracelet helps us provide 10 meals to abandoned dogs through local partners on the ground.
They reach the places where dogs are still waiting for someone to show up.
And every month, we send you real photos from the feeding operations.
100,000+ Customers Have Chosen Rescue Paws.
Together, this community has helped us provide more than 2,000,000 meals.
You can wear the bracelet every day.
Your purchase helps us provide meals through local partners.
