What's your thought,
Is the lack of being able to handle, running in warm/hot weather, genetic; resulting in heat stroke or death. And/Or is heat stroke, partially, related to change in physical characteristics, (short ears) I'm seeing a lot short eared hounds. I ask this, because there's a male I wouldn't mind breeding to, but found out he had endured some heat stroke lately, and the female I'm thinking of breeding to him, can't handle the warmer temps while running.
I see a few posts on social media, that so and so dog can get it done in 90+ heat or in general the heat.
Heat Stroke-tendencies
Moderators: Pike Ridge Beagles, Aaron Bartlett
Heat Stroke-tendencies
Beagling is not a science, just an opinion!
Re: Heat Stroke-tendencies
Most of the heat problems are due to dogs being too fat and out of shape. Most beaglers dogs are too fat to run in high temps.
However, some beagles have so much desire they won't quit until they drop.
I've only had one to die, in about fifty years of owning beagles. I gave a friend a beagle pup and he turned out to be outstanding. The owner. during off season, put his beagles in a pen on a self feeder. I borrowed him to breed a bitch but he was so fat he could not breed. He weighed forty-eight pounds. I decided to take off some weight. I cut back his feed and ran him every morning when it was cool. One morning I turned him loose and went about my chores, when suddenly I realized it was getting warm. I quit and went to look for him. I walked about two hundred yards from the house when I heard him breathing. A raspy hiss. He was laying on is side unconscious. I ran back to the house, got a wheelbarrow and retrieved him. I started running cold water over him and soon he looked up at me, wagged his tail in recognition, and then quit breathing.
I ran his half sister on a hot day in thick weeds when I noticed she was getting too hot. I carried her to a tub of water and cooled her off. She was in good physical condition, but the temp, plus high weeds cutting of air circulation, was too much.
I had another older bitch that would run in 90+ degrees, but she would run for a while, take a break and come to the house for water, then go back and run some more.
Some of it is genetic. I have a bitch that has a narrow airway, I suppose. When it's hot she has a difficult time breathing. When running in high heat she has a raspy sound when she pants. In cooler weather she never has a problem
However, some beagles have so much desire they won't quit until they drop.
I've only had one to die, in about fifty years of owning beagles. I gave a friend a beagle pup and he turned out to be outstanding. The owner. during off season, put his beagles in a pen on a self feeder. I borrowed him to breed a bitch but he was so fat he could not breed. He weighed forty-eight pounds. I decided to take off some weight. I cut back his feed and ran him every morning when it was cool. One morning I turned him loose and went about my chores, when suddenly I realized it was getting warm. I quit and went to look for him. I walked about two hundred yards from the house when I heard him breathing. A raspy hiss. He was laying on is side unconscious. I ran back to the house, got a wheelbarrow and retrieved him. I started running cold water over him and soon he looked up at me, wagged his tail in recognition, and then quit breathing.
I ran his half sister on a hot day in thick weeds when I noticed she was getting too hot. I carried her to a tub of water and cooled her off. She was in good physical condition, but the temp, plus high weeds cutting of air circulation, was too much.
I had another older bitch that would run in 90+ degrees, but she would run for a while, take a break and come to the house for water, then go back and run some more.
Some of it is genetic. I have a bitch that has a narrow airway, I suppose. When it's hot she has a difficult time breathing. When running in high heat she has a raspy sound when she pants. In cooler weather she never has a problem
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Shady Grove Beagles
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Re: Heat Stroke-tendencies
I'm sure a lot of it has to do with age and conditioning and acclimation to the temps. where the dog lives and is conditioned to.
I'd have to believe that generally speaking younger hounds tolerate heat better than older ones. Same as us humans. My 33 year old son can out work me in the heat any day of the week and I'm 70. Kind of a no- brainer.
Plus I think that a dog bred, born, raised and run in say Maine would struggle big time to come here in the south and hold up with dogs that have always run here. I know there are guys in Louisiana that run when it's so hot that I don't want to leave the A.C. Guess those hounds are acclimated to it??
I have had several dogs over the years that were more thick coated than others that were slick coated and they didn't seem to like running in the heat.
Years ago I used to run year round which meant here in Tn. in July and August. I had occasions where I would "down" the dogs off a rabbit and catch them up. They had been running strong but leading them out they would get the wobbles and have trouble keeping their rear legs under them.
I mentioned this to several veterinarians who were my customers at the time and they ALL said "be very careful, you can kill them or damage them". They said that a dogs normal temp. is 101.5 but running them in heat and humidity their temp can get up to 104-105 and now you are in the danger zone for heat stroke or organ damage.
A dog has a very poor cooling system that operates almost exclusively on panting. When you hound is barking every breath and running hard he's having a hard time cooling his core body temp.
I've mentioned this before on another beagle site and guys laughed at me and said their dogs could run when it's 90 degrees with no problem and that mine must just not be in shape or have enough desire.
Be that as it may, I don't enjoy running when it 's hot and humid. Be careful.
I'd have to believe that generally speaking younger hounds tolerate heat better than older ones. Same as us humans. My 33 year old son can out work me in the heat any day of the week and I'm 70. Kind of a no- brainer.
Plus I think that a dog bred, born, raised and run in say Maine would struggle big time to come here in the south and hold up with dogs that have always run here. I know there are guys in Louisiana that run when it's so hot that I don't want to leave the A.C. Guess those hounds are acclimated to it??
I have had several dogs over the years that were more thick coated than others that were slick coated and they didn't seem to like running in the heat.
Years ago I used to run year round which meant here in Tn. in July and August. I had occasions where I would "down" the dogs off a rabbit and catch them up. They had been running strong but leading them out they would get the wobbles and have trouble keeping their rear legs under them.
I mentioned this to several veterinarians who were my customers at the time and they ALL said "be very careful, you can kill them or damage them". They said that a dogs normal temp. is 101.5 but running them in heat and humidity their temp can get up to 104-105 and now you are in the danger zone for heat stroke or organ damage.
A dog has a very poor cooling system that operates almost exclusively on panting. When you hound is barking every breath and running hard he's having a hard time cooling his core body temp.
I've mentioned this before on another beagle site and guys laughed at me and said their dogs could run when it's 90 degrees with no problem and that mine must just not be in shape or have enough desire.
Be that as it may, I don't enjoy running when it 's hot and humid. Be careful.
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