All bulldog owners MUST know and understand the following Severely hot weather can be fatal to a bulldog, they don’t even need to be moving about in it to succumb to the heat. Please make sure that any exercise is given early inthe morning or late in the evening, don’t be tempted to go for a nice Sunday afternoon stroll when it is very sunny or hot. Also please don’t allow your bulldogto lay out in the sun for long periods, they do not know when they have had enough and it doesn’t take long for their panting to become out of control.

How to recognize when your bulldog is toohotAny exercise will make him pant but watch for when the panting becomes"heaving" this is the earliest sign that he is getting too hot. When thepanting has become loud and is becoming a "roar" he has already become too hotand the outcome can be fatal:

Stages of overheating: Your bulldog will begin to "heave" as he pants Your bulldog will begin to "roar" - best described as sounding like severe asthma He will begin to look tired and distressed His tongue will be very floppy and very red in colour His body temperature will rise (normal temp approx 38.6) His airway will swell and his throat become full of white foam (caused through the excessive panting) He will quickly become exhausted and will fighting for breath He could die

 How to prevent overheating: Do not allow your bulldog to lay out in the day time sunshine Do not walk your bulldog in hot weather During hot weather keep your bulldog inside during the hottest part of the day

How to deal with overheating: Lower his body temperature: Always ensure that you have ice to hand during the summer months. Pour cold water over your dog, especially around his head, rub ice around his head and under his tail (around his rectum). If possible stand him in a cold bath and keep going with the ice until the breathing is less labored.

Clear the airway: Squirt some lemon juice (from one of those plastic lemon shaped bottles that you squirt on your pancakes) into the back of his throat, he will hate you for it, but the lemon juice will quickly break up the excess foam and clear the throat. Do not allow him to drink a lot of water as this can cause him to vomit.

 Keep him calm: Once you have reduced his panic keep him in a quiet place and keep a close eye on him.

 If this doesn’t work then you need to get to a vet as quickly as possible  - put a cold damp towel under him for the journey Bulldogs overheat quickly because of the shape of their throats, their soft palates arealmost always too long and when they get very hot they cannot pant sufficiently to keeptheir body temperature down, their attempts to pant quickly cause the production of foam which in turn blocks the throat and causes labored breathing and eventually they will begin to roar as they try to breath through the blockage.

 Summer Check list: Plenty of ice Jiff Lemon JuiceIf you need to go out freeze some damp towels the day before and take with you together with both of the above items and plenty of cold water.In an emergency you can substitute 7-UP for the lemon and packets of frozen veggies forthe ice. Find a horse trough, stream, river or pond to stand your dog in or knock on the nearest house and ask to borrow a hose pipe. Remember this can happen at any time, even if up until now he has coped perfectly OK with the heat. Prevention is much better than cure.Note: Stress can often bring on the same symptoms and should be treated in the same wayas described above.