Pug perishes in heat, owner sends warning

[pstokely]

Source: NBC Action News

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas - Pet owners often hear the warnings to protect their animals from the heat. But some may not realize just how dangerous it is right now for certain breeds of dogs.

Debbie Leonard is mourning the death of her beloved pug named Petunia.

Petunia was a family pet and it was her sons who picked the breed.

Friday was hot and humid, so Leonard kept Petunia and her two other pugs inside all day.

Read more: http://www.nbcactionnews.com/dpp/weather/weather_news/pug-perishes-in-heat%2C-owner-sends-warning

[Journeyman]

1. Thanks. An interesting article, something I'd never considered before. . .

I'll pass this on to others I know with little dogs.

[avebury]

2. People also need to be aware of older dogs in the heat as well.

We have been having a horrible heat wave this summer and I watch how long all of my dogs are outside. The heat is particularly rough on my oldest dog.

My sympathies to the family that lost the pug but, to put it bluntly, they were careless.

[Earth_First]

3. Lots of swimming for our Golden this week...

Naturally, she loves it anyways!

[blueclown]

4. Thanks fo the advice.

We have two pugs. Neither of them wants to be outside in this 90 degree weather. Can't blame them. One of them is blind, so that kind of complicates the issue. He never goes outside without a leash and supervision though, since we have an open swimming pool.

[williesgirl]

5. Thanks for this. I had my Pug outside on the porch w/me last night about 10:00.

It was still 80+ degrees and very humid. After about 10 minutes, I thought he was breathing weird so we all came in. I also noticed a few days ago when I took him in the car with me for about 10 minutes (I never left the car and the A/C was on, but I think I need more freeon), he sounded the same way.

Thanks to you, I now know why. I'll pass this around to my other groups. Rec'd

[thecrow]

6. My elderly beagle is having problems with the heat too

I let them out only to do their business. No walks in this heat!
My sheltie is just hot, but she has a large mouth and can pant a little better.
My beagle does this "beagle wheeze" thing but these days, it's more pronounced...
Her sinuses mut be getting drier.
100 tomorrow? Oh joy.

[WatsonT]

7. A good reason not to breed obvious physical deformities in to animals merely because it's "cute"

[eilen]

8. How sad. My brother's dog died last week.

He found her dead in her doghouse in the back yard.

His doghouses are air-conditioned.

It was very sad.

[24601]

9. My condolences. If our sweet beagle died, I'd be crushed. n/t

[Old Troop]

10. I saw a woman walking a boston terrier today in Philly. The poor

thing's tongue was hanging out as far as any dog's I've ever seen. I wonder if the heat radiating off the pavement was harming the dog. Its belly was about three inches off the pavement.

[Behind the Aegis]

12. The heat can also burn their paw pads and do some really serious damage.

[TorchTheWitch]

11. dogs can breathe through their mouths just like we do

That's what panting is all about. Pugs and other smushed snouted dogs have trouble breathing, period, because their whole respiratory system is fucked up in order to give them the smushed snout appearance. This is why pugs and other smushed snouted breeds making all those odd snorting sounds when the breathe... because they CAN'T FUCKING BREATHE PROPERLY.

It's tragic that in order to breed dogs with certain appearance attributes we've gone so far as to deform them so that their bodies aren't able to function properly... smushed snout, stubby legs, underbite, excessively drooping lips and jowls, extra-long floppy ears, bulging eyes... these are all deformities that compromise a dog's health sometimes to an extreme degree particularly with a smushed snouted breed. It's grotesque. Why the fuck to we breed dogs that have such a smushed in snout, small nose, etc. that it can't fucking BREATHE properly??? Or a dog with such stubby legs that it can't walk or run sufficiently and end up bow legged or knock-kneed with all kinds of joint problems before they even get old??? Or dogs with no damn HAIR??? It's sick and stupid.

Putting a dog outside in this excessive heat and humidity for a whole hour is nuts - shade or not. And anyone that owns a pug knows damn well they can't EVER breathe properly, not just breathe properly when it's hot and humid. This is stuff they SHOULD have known before they ever bought the dog in the first place. You don't buy a pet willy-nilly just because it's cute and cuddly... you have to do research on the right pet for you and your family, the right breed for you and your family and research everything there is to know about that breed of pet long BEFORE the purchase is made. And if you don't have enough common sense that you don't put any pet outside in this wretched heat and humidity or leave them in a hot car or hot house or with no big water supply, etc. then you are far too damn stupid and irresponsible to own a pet.

I don't feel sorry for these people one bit. I'm so done with feeling bad for stupid people that get pets they haven't bothered to find out the most basic and important stuff about, do something epically stupid and scratch their idiot heads wondering what happened when the inevitable tragedy occurs.