Summer in Amman is harder on them than on you
2 min read
A dog does not sweat. It moves heat by panting, which means it is cooling itself with air that is already hot, and a flat-faced breed is doing that with half the airway. By the time a dog is in trouble it has usually been in trouble for a while.
The parked car is the one everyone knows and it is still the one that happens. A car in Amman in July goes past 50 degrees inside in minutes with the windows cracked. There is no version of this that is fine because you will only be five minutes.
The ones people miss:
Asphalt. Press the back of your hand to the pavement and hold it there for seven seconds. If you cannot, neither can a paw. Walk at 6am or after dark in July and August, not at 5pm because it feels cooler to you.
Water that runs out. One bowl is not enough for a hot day, and a bowl in the sun becomes undrinkable. Two bowls, both in shade, and a third if the animal is outside.
Shade that moves. The patch of shade you left the dog in at noon is gone by three.
Cats on balconies. A cat sleeping in the sun on a closed balcony has no way out. Balconies also account for most of the falls we treat, and open windows in summer are why.
Signs to stop everything and call: heavy panting that does not settle, drooling more than usual, unsteadiness, gums that look very dark or very pale, vomiting. Move to shade, wet the paws and belly with cool water rather than iced, and ring us on the way.