Guest guest Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 Amie, When I hunt, dogs readily break ice to get in to get the birds and to just get in. So just above freezing. karen kowalski RN., DVM cincinnatiIt's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 Water can be too warm, too. There is a " recreational " dog pool near us that keeps the water at 92 degrees (!) and a dog with heart failure collapsed and died there last year after swimming. That's too warm for healthy dogs, in my opinion, unless they're just dangling there and doing some Thai Chi. We keep our pool 72-85 degrees and modify activity in it and out-of-water care based on the temperature. A healthy Chessie or full-bodied Lab can handle colder water than a Shorthair, Viszla, or Weimeraner in my experience. Bethany Wiltshire,PT,MS Rock River Canine Sports & Rehab,LLC beth@... www.rrk9sportsandrehab.com > --- Swimming Temperatures > > Date: Wed, August 27, 2008 8:49 am > To: <VetRehab > > Hi Amie, > > I don’t have an evidence based study about exact water temperature but have > many clients asking me that in the summer time here in Toronto, ‘why they > can’t do rehab in Lake Ontario” (which at best could be around 65°) i don’t > have scientific evidence but i have extrapolated info from our text (Levine, > Millis, - canine rehab) with regards to the physiologic effects of > heat... basically we know that applying heat increases the extensibility of > connective tissue, so using this principle i would expect that having a dog > in warmer water temperature may help to promote this as opposed to cold > water temperature. If owners are hell bent on going in the cold water of > the lake i tell them to make sure they warm the dog up considerably prior to > swimming , and ensure they also warm down after swim... > > Hope this helps > > tania Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 Hi All, I do have some scientific evidence on water temperature. Dr. Dianne Dunning (previously at U of Ill) and I did a study on water temperature and body reaction while using the UWTM. We used 86, 88, 90, 92, and 94 degrees, we had 20 dogs in the study, and recorded body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and perceived exertion. Each dog walked at a fast pace, but not a trot, for 10 minutes at each temperature. What we found was that in all cases the heart rate, respiratory rate, perceived exertion, and body temperature increased at each water temperature. There was no difference in the change of reaction when water temperatures were compared. We had several dogs shiver before walking at 86 degrees and one dog seemed to overheat (though his body temperature did not rise above acceptable normal) at 94 degrees. The people in with the dogs were cold at 86 degrees as well. So my thought is that a dog in heart failure should not have been pushed doing exercise without an ok from a cardiologist and this is much more likely to have caused his death then overheating due to the water temperature. I have used 1 pool for 10 years and a second for 6 years and we keep the temperature at 94 degrees in the winter and at 90 degrees in the summer and have never had a problem with a dog overheating. IMHO Laurie McCauley Laurie McCauley, DVM TOPS Veterinary Rehabilitation Grayslake, IL drmc@... www.tops-vet-rehab.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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