Dogs do not sweat the way we humans do. To deal with the heat, humans make use of a very important method – sweating. Excess heat is dispersed from the body when the moisture produced when we sweat evaporates on the surface of the skin. Our furry friends cannot manage excess body heat this way. It is widely believed that dogs don’t sweat. It is believed that it is impossible for dogs to sweat through their furs. Even people that have kept dogs for years may not have the opportunity to see the pet sweat. The very few sweat glands dogs have are mostly found on the foot pads. This means that dogs can sweat. During hot days the floor will be marked by the dog’s paws dampened with sweat.
What do dogs do to cope with the heat? Panting like barking is a trademark of dogs.. Panting is the dog’s unique cooling system that prevents the brain from overheating and effecting the circulation of cooler blood to all parts of the body. A dog that pants needs very little energy. When the dog lolls the tongue, the cooling system switch will be turned on and excess body heat will be gone. This makes the tongue a very important part in the dog’s one of a kind cooling system.
The few sweat glands on the dogs paws will be incapable of cooling the body especially if the feet is planted on a hot surface. Cooling off is achieved through the tongue. By hanging out the tongue, the dog boosts the evaporation of moisture from the tongue’s surface. The tongue, the mouth and consequently the blood vessels on the head are cooled when the dogs pants. The blood made cooler by the dog’s panting will now be circulated to the parts of the body achieving a normal level of body temperature.
There are other reasons why dogs pant. Hot weather causes dogs to pant excessively. Dogs loll out their tongues when excited, when stressed or after a strenuous exercise. Short faced breeds are noticed to pant more. Medical concerns like seizures, lung and heart disease would cause a dog to pant.
As mentioned, panting is normal in dogs but a pet parent has to be vigilant. A panting dog may be suffering from heatstroke. Dogs find it hard to manage heat. Dogs must not be left in unventilated cars. Heatstroke is one of the common causes of canine deaths.
Dogs are interesting animals. Learn more about why do dogs pant and read more about heatstroke symptoms, prevention and treatment at Sarah’s Dogs.
