A Dog’s Panting Habit
Dogs sweat but not like the way we do. Sweating is an important mechanism that allows humans to fight the heat. By sweating, excess heat is released from the body when the moisture on the surface of the skin evaporates. Our furry friends cannot manage excess body heat this way. There is a notion that dogs do not sweat. There is an assumption that because of the fur it would not be possible for the dog to sweat. It is highly possible that even people that have had dogs for years have not seen one sweating. The very few sweat glands dogs have are mostly found on the foot pads. The notion that dogs cannot sweat is simply untrue. On a very hot day, the wet paw prints of the dog can be seen on the floor.
How do dogs manage the heat? Panting like barking is a trademark of dogs.. Dogs uses panting as a one of a kind cooling system that ensures the circulation of cooler blood to all parts of the body to regulate temperature. A dog does not need to exert too much effort to pant. The dog would simply hang out the tongue and the excess body heat will be chased away. A dog’s tongue is one important tool in regulating body temperature.
The dog’s few sweat glands are ineffective in cooling the body especially if the dog is walking or running on hot pavement. Cooling off is achieved through the tongue. The evaporation of moisture on the surface of the tongue is enhanced when the dog lolls the tongue. The tongue, the mouth and consequently the blood vessels on the head are cooled when the dogs pants. Once blood is cooled by the dog’s panting the normal level of body temperature will be attained.
Dogs pant for other reasons. You will notice a dog panting excessively when the weather is hot. Stress, excitement and strenuous activities would make a dog pant. The physical structures of short faced dogs requires them to pant excessively. Medical concerns like seizures, lung and heart disease would cause a dog to pant.
Dogs normally pant but pet owners have to be watchful. A panting dog may be suffering from heatstroke. Dogs cannot cope well with high temperatures. Left inside a car, a dog would pant heavily further heating up the confined space. A lot of dogs have died from heatstroke.
