Walter Hates The Heat

Walter didn't like the 93° a little after 5pm when these photos were taken. Why should he? His nose is smashed into his face. Where other breeds have cooling tools in their nose the English Bulldog has very few. (only a couple) They are prone to heat exhaustion and should not be left out long. We were outside this afternoon seven minutes and seven seconds. A couple of these photos were hazy and I left them like that. By the time I lifted the camera up for that first photo, the heat, humidity soaked that cold air condition air off my lens and fogged it up.

Watson thought it was a good time to play some fetch.

Walter is seeing "his" bone and it is his, thrown to the far corner of the yard while Watson runs after it. This was the other hazy photo I spoke of.

He is not interested in the game of fetch but if he saw I was getting ready to leave the house, he would be fighting Watson for that bone. It is strange but whenever I get ready to leave the house he finds that bone and chews it like mad ... almost like a separation anxiety thing.

Being the typical basset hound, Henry just doesn't care one way or another. Hot and muggy or freezing cold with the yard of ice, he doesn't care because he does like to be outside.

Sadie was the last bloodhound that like to play fetch. She use to run after this same bone six or seven years ago. Henry isn't moving though, that is his spot to relax while I take photos.

Same bone in 2016.

After two minutes and twenty seconds based in the 'info' from the photos, Walter is ready to go in. He knows I see him so no need to bark at me. He will though if I wait to long to let him back inside.

He is still fetching but there is always something to smell. 

Walter still cannot believe we are still outside. It feels a lot more humid than the 65% the iPhone says.

Finally at the seven minute mark Walter lets out his first bark at me ... he definitely has had enough of the "oven test".

Henry would stay outside forever but does trot to the door as I head that way. He still knows that AC air is much better than what he is sitting in.

Watson agrees that it's time to get back inside and leaves the bright orange bone in the yard. The lime green bone is still missing. I have looked under every piece of furniture inside, every inch of floor under the shelves in the shed as well as the garage. So far, no luck.

I am still trying to solve the mystery of Watson's digestive issue. Firm stools in the morning, loose stools after his lunch. Luckily with the change in food, they are now semi-loose in the afternoon. So that leads me back to reading about dog food again just like I did when I was trying to solve Heidi's skin issues.

We found out after moving to AZ, 3-4 months later when all of her skin cleared up and back to normal ... it wasn't food allergies, they were environmental. Which goes along with what a vet told me he found in their studies of dog food. Only 3% of dog allergies are caused by food.

Back to Watson. I have tried different kinds of meat source, grain free, and with grain. I have tried Earthborn, Victor, Merrick, Fromm and even Science Diet with not much luck. Henry and Walter have no issues so they have been eating their own brand. Mostly Fromm but I switched to a bag of Kirklands Salmon and Sweet Potato this week based on the list of ingredients I copied to my dog food analysis spreadsheet.

Today after doing an internet search "is potatoes better than rice for dogs" ... that led me to some forum and some new links where vets have analyzed dog food ingredients. One thing I did not like about the information about potatoes ... they can lead to bloat. There is a chemical in potatoes that is the cause. Others say the rice will be better for a dog if they have digestive issues.

I tend to agree with that because I have heard for 35 years if a dog has diarrhea then feed him white rice and then add a little cooked chicken. Rice has more fiber which I am told will help with his digestion. Yet I wonder if that intestinal surgery Watson had at five months old might be a factor and one that will never change. Still it's a mystery why not in the mornings? Both meals are the same quantity. 

I did a test on two different kinds of kibble today in water. I had read on a forum that hard kibble is hard to digest for dogs. They suggested adding water and soaking it before feeding it. So I did a test soaking the two different kinds of food I had. One was with grains, the other grain free. Most dog food now comes in small pieces so the dog can ingest it easier and digest it easier since they do not chew every piece.

After 15 minutes both kibbles were still hard in the center. They were not as soft as expected on the outer edges when I squeezed them. Unlike 20 years ago, neither kibble increased in size after soaking in water. My friend swears soaking his kibble in a cup of water before feeding his Mastiff helps his digestion. I might have to add another step to feeding Watson by adding a cup of water to his kibble.

Another day of not much going on. It's just to hot to even ride my bike early. It was a muggy 78° at 7am so I stayed inside and drank coffee. 

The summer if moving on fast here in "the tropics" of Southern Indiana.