Dear Unpleasant: The heat this summer across the country has been stifling for both hounds and humans! You own one of the double-coated Nordic breeds that may appear to suffer more in hot weather because of the massive amounts of coat. However, this is not the case. Most people think that by shaving off the coat they are doing the dog a favor.

The coat on a dog acts as insulation from both hot and cold air temperatures. The coat traps the air close to the body which is the same temperature as their body. When a dog is hot, it not only pants to regulate its body temperature (since dogs don’t sweat through their skin like humans) but their coat traps the air closest to the skin and keeps it the same temperature as their ideal body temperature. Keeping their coats well groomed helps the coat do its job better. Matted, wet or shaved hair can’t trap the body temperature air close to the skin to keep the dog comfortable in all climates. And, if you shave a dog down to the skin you not only increase the risk of heatstroke but sunburn. Breeds that are normally clipped year-round can continue the practice but don’t turn your fluffy into a smoothie anytime soon. And for those hairless breeds, don’t forget the sunscreen!

Some other ideas your dog might enjoy is to replace the water in the puppy pool with ice, place a fan outside the kennel for them to lie in front of or give them a dirt area to dig down into the earth and create a cool den.

Hot Spots Can Be

Weather Related

Hot spots are sometimes known as “summer sores” but are officially called Pyotraumatic Dermatitis. The skin gets some kind of irritant, like lying down on a rough surface, licking, matted hair, or trauma like a scrape and then moisture gets involved which allows bacteria to grown, causing an infection which produces inflammation and voila – you have a hot spot. The area is usually warm to the touch from the inflammation. Moisture abounds for your dog during summer with more swimming and other water-related cooling efforts. Your vet can treat hot spots with antibiotics both orally and topically for the infection as well as anti-inflammatory medications for swelling and itching. But the key is to keep them dry and clean to promote healing.

Dear Lisa: My seven-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever is beginning to limp on his right rear leg. He doesn’t want to put any weight on it. About two years ago, he had surgery on his left knee to fix a ruptured cruciate ligament due to an injury. Is it possible the other knee will need surgery too? – Knee Jerk Reaction

Dear Knee Jerk: It is not only possible that the other knee is going, but highly likely. Statistically, a dog is 80 percent likely to rupture the ligament in the other leg within one year. So far your dog dodged the odds but it appears he may suffer from both types of cruciate ligament rupture: the acute (or injury) onset and the chronic (or age-related degeneration) onset.

The acute onset of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) rupture usually affects dogs under four-years-old and is triggered by a sudden, twisting motion of the ligament causing it to tear or completely snap in half. The chronic onset can be attributed to many things, including age, obesity, being a giant or large breed, a spayed female, having poor muscle condition around the ligament or a structural abnormality such as being bow-legged or straight-legged. Another contributing factor to having the opposite ACL rupture is that surgery does not fix the other knee joint but merely stabilizes it. The knee is not at good as new, although normal function may return, it therefore puts an added burden on the other healthy knee.

Diagnosis And Surgery

How can you tell if your dog’s ACL is failing? With a sudden tear or rupture a dog will usually yelp in pain and then hold its leg up very high and not be able to put any weight on it. Dogs with this injury can’t bear weight on the knee without collapsing.

Once the ACL is torn or ruptured, arthritis begins to set in within a few days as the knee joint is no longer able to function and bones start rubbing together. Surgery is the best treatment to stabilize the joint. Surgeons report they find arthritic changes in dogs which have waited several weeks between injury and surgery. Most dogs recover normal function within six to eight weeks especially with carefully controlled exercise, physical therapy and supplements. Take your dog to the vet as soon as possible to get a correct diagnosis.

Lisa Peterson is Director of Club Communications for the American Kennel Club, 260 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, 212-696-8360. Remember, AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day will be celebrated this September in a community near you. To find out more about hosting or attending one of hundreds of fun and exciting events, visit http://www.akc.org/clubs/rdod/events/index.cfm