Coping with the heat.
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I have troubles with low potassium and magnesium in heavy sweat environments. I need both to be stable so that medications that I take work correctly. There is a product, in the USA, called Lite Salt that is a mixture of potassium chloride and sodium chloride. I use this only when I am bad shape as these mixtures are tough on the kidneys. I think it is best to get replenishment via normal dietary means.
Electrolyte loss is a killer and in some cases it creeps up on without warning. A few years ago, I walked from the parking lot to Delicate Arch in Arches, National Park, Utah. This is high desert at 4600+ feet and temps were around 100oF. I superhydrated before leaving the car AC by downing 2 liters of water. We walked the 1.5 miles to Delicate Arch, had a great time, spent about an hour at the Arch enjoying the view and taking photos. The walk to the Arch is all uphill. I had one liter of water with me. I drank 500ml at the Arch and 500ml half way back. I made it back to the car and was overwhelmed with early signs of heat stroke. The worst was loss of vision and partial delirium. I downed 2 liters of water in the car but it wasn't until I ate a banana (hard to do because you want to throw up) and drank 1 liter of Gatorade that I became stable. I have had subsequent problems with almost all occurring in desert environments in the American SW or SW Asia, but I now know to not let it get to this point.
Incidentally, Moab, Utah is wonderful for hikes. Two large national parks, decent folks, good hotels. We stay at the Hampton Inn, in Moab if you ever trek over.
Electrolyte loss is a killer and in some cases it creeps up on without warning. A few years ago, I walked from the parking lot to Delicate Arch in Arches, National Park, Utah. This is high desert at 4600+ feet and temps were around 100oF. I superhydrated before leaving the car AC by downing 2 liters of water. We walked the 1.5 miles to Delicate Arch, had a great time, spent about an hour at the Arch enjoying the view and taking photos. The walk to the Arch is all uphill. I had one liter of water with me. I drank 500ml at the Arch and 500ml half way back. I made it back to the car and was overwhelmed with early signs of heat stroke. The worst was loss of vision and partial delirium. I downed 2 liters of water in the car but it wasn't until I ate a banana (hard to do because you want to throw up) and drank 1 liter of Gatorade that I became stable. I have had subsequent problems with almost all occurring in desert environments in the American SW or SW Asia, but I now know to not let it get to this point.
Incidentally, Moab, Utah is wonderful for hikes. Two large national parks, decent folks, good hotels. We stay at the Hampton Inn, in Moab if you ever trek over.
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It might be interesting for folk to read this:
How Much Water Can You Absorb Per Hour?
Find your body’s hydration speed limit. Learn the maximum absorption rate and how to avoid the dangers of drinking too fast.
biologyinsights.com
Yeah, I visited Canyonlands and Arches in Sept 2016. Walked a ways in Arches, but only got to wander around the plateau where the visitors are at Canyonlands. Spectacular scenery. I had planned to camp at a site by the river, but at 10pm they were all full and I ended up sleeping in my car in a rest stop further along the road.
Today is miserable for me. It's far too hot and muggy. I do fine in the cold, but the heat just totally de-energises me.
It's after 7pm and it's just below 23˚C in my garden just now. I know we still have four more hours of useable daylight, but there's no encouragement to go out and be busy in it.
It'll pass, soon enough we'll have rain and be complaining about that too
It's after 7pm and it's just below 23˚C in my garden just now. I know we still have four more hours of useable daylight, but there's no encouragement to go out and be busy in it.
It'll pass, soon enough we'll have rain and be complaining about that too
Electrolyte Rehydration Solution
1 litre of water (2 for children).
6 teaspoons of sugar.
0.5 teaspoon of salt.
0.5 teaspoon of salt substitute (aka potassium chloride).
1 small pinch of baking soda.
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Oh only 23! I would love that! I had 36 in the shade, and couldnt water the garden untill it got to 29 in the shade!, which felt so much cooler. It was over 44 in the sun in my garden.Today is miserable for me. It's far too hot and muggy. I do fine in the cold, but the heat just totally de-energises me.
It's after 7pm and it's just below 23˚C in my garden just now. I know we still have four more hours of useable daylight, but there's no encouragement to go out and be busy in it.
It'll pass, soon enough we'll have rain and be complaining about that too
Ive had two cold showers, my body has been dribbling all day, (yuk!) and that was indoors with a fan on its now down to 27.3 in the house, despite windows and curtains closed all day since 7.30 am. Humidity 72%
Its horrible, no energy, dont want to eat anything, just drinking all day long..
Roll on the weekend , some cooler temps and some rain please.
I loved this sort of weather in my youth, cant deal with it now.
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Mum sent me a picture of the thermometer that she put out in the sun in her paved patio for ten minutes...
In the shade it was probably about 40°C; it's a small paved area with brick wall on three sides so at any given time during daylight there is direct sun on at least one and often two of those walls reflecting back and the wall that is in the shade has been warmed earlier in the day and it's radiating stored heat.
It is much cooler inside the house, generally a comfortable 22°C to 26°C when outside is supposedly 34°C and up; Edwardian brick mid-terrace.
In the shade it was probably about 40°C; it's a small paved area with brick wall on three sides so at any given time during daylight there is direct sun on at least one and often two of those walls reflecting back and the wall that is in the shade has been warmed earlier in the day and it's radiating stored heat.
It is much cooler inside the house, generally a comfortable 22°C to 26°C when outside is supposedly 34°C and up; Edwardian brick mid-terrace.
If I buy electrolyte soluble powder or tablets I always look for some Mg content. Cramp is a problem for me.
Currently lying on a fresh cotton sheet with a damp t-shirt draped over me and the fan blowing. Dog, ditto.
Rich, and all other dog owners, please remember dogs cant sweat like us, so covering them in wet towels doesnt realy work..vet advice, neigbours dog succumbed to the heat yesterday, and they did this to try and cool the dog. Made it worse.
Better to just wet the dogs coat and let evaporation do the trick. Vet advised a kiddies swimming pool for the dog to lie in, in a shaded spot, as the sun can heat the water too much, plus plenty of cold water to drink, and ice cubes to crunch on.
Dogs sweat only from their tongue, and by panting.
Hope mimmi keeps cool, shes an elder pup and like us elders, super hot weather isnt kind .
My neighbours dog has recovered, but now, only allowed out early mornings and evenings, and gets a swim in the river for 20 mins instead of a long walk.
Evaporative cooling works whether it is water or sweat and a fan helps a lot. Full body immersion in cool water should be the most effective way.
A wet towel with a fan blowing can get a lot lower than ambient, I guess 10C is easily possible, it depends on the moisture content of the air. Of course with a wet dog the heat transfer is more direct so more effective.
A wet towel with a fan blowing can get a lot lower than ambient, I guess 10C is easily possible, it depends on the moisture content of the air. Of course with a wet dog the heat transfer is more direct so more effective.
We put damp towels on our horses when the weather gets this hot. That seems to keep them happy.
Regarding rehydraton solutions I'm usually too lazy to do it properly. I just pour some salt into my palm and lick it off then grab a big plastic spoon of local set honey and suck it like a lolly while drinking plenty of water.
This has nothing to do with a dog sweating, and is an effective way to cool literally anything. Like her wet coat, evaporation from the t-shirt being blown by the fan causes a cold reaction as the bonds of the water molecules break and the liquid becomes gas. This is exactly how sweating works.
I wouldn't use towels as the material is thick and the cold transfer is limited. Your friends' dog possibly ended up being more insulated. But a thin material will cool, and she definitely enjoys it. I tend not to dip her in water just before bed as she sleeps on the end of mine.
I'm a little bit snappy about dog advice at the moment having had a couple of non dog owners try to tell me the hot tarmac would burn her feet. Which, unless a very black car park, is tosh. Because I have my own working brain, I know I wouldn't take her on tarmac or pavement in these particularly high temps anyway. Our feet are very sensitive, think reflexology, dogs pads are not. Both these people got told that I was perfectly capable of joining the echo chambers of Facebook to read of the horrific cruelties owners make their dogs endure and it's pretty rude to just wander up to someone and stuff an opinion down their throat while insulting their intelligence.
I blame Covid for a wave of dog owners who shouldn't own dogs, and Covid again for creating the alarmist gangs of falsely empowered Karens that roam Facebook and the like.
Regarding rehydraton solutions I'm usually too lazy to do it properly. I just pour some salt into my palm and lick it off then grab a big plastic spoon of local set honey and suck it like a lolly while drinking plenty of water.
I like your style. You're the sort of guy that used to drink the homebrew kit beer a few days early and suffer 48hrs of flatulent diarrhoea. Totally worth it
I wasnt being critical. My neighbour indeed use towels, so you are right about that. My post was realy just a general reminder for dog owners. I know you treat mimmi like a princess, and wouldnt do anything but your absolute best for her.
I agree about the karens!
You can buy dog cooling mats which are filled with gel and work very well for dogs...and also cheaper and useful for humans use, rather than the over priced human version.
Am presently wishing i had one for myself.!
This reminds me of another hot weather trick which I sometimes use to cool bottles of drinking water while out in the field.
Put the bottle inside a of pair of thick socks and then thoroughly soak them through. As the water evaporates from the socks it will help keep the bottle a little bit cooler.
Same ingredients. Just mixing them internally rather than externally.I like your style. You're the sort of guy that used to drink the homebrew kit beer a few days early and suffer 48hrs of flatulent diarrhoea. Totally worth it
I was out doing a basket course yesterday. We were set up in the shade of a big tree next to a river (uplands of Wales). The place I live now, apparently the people who lived here 50 years ago would keep their milk crate in the stream to keep it cool, constant flow of water and shade of plants. Natural heat management and effective.
Hydration: some watermelon and a touch of salt followed by water is effective for me.
The increase of concrete/tarmac etc instead of greenery is something that I think is often overlooked in impact of temperature increases. Adapting to a changing climate- however it is caused- is much more difficult if you are working against nature not with it. Not just heat/sun, but also things like run-off from increased hard surfaces that have replaced gardens. Also the nature of building materials- a house coated with lime render and with shutters will stay cooler naturally. As would a Devon cob house with thatched roof and small windows with shutters. But no, we build with concrete and steel and loads of glass- then rely on finite resources to maintain a liveable temperature (all year around). Nuts!
But then again I am a radical, I am firmly in favour of banning astroturf and adding a charge of at least £1000/year to every household where they have paved over their garden or replaced grass with astroturf in the past 10 years. The cost of their decision being bourne by the general public and the environment, not by the person benefiting from it. And yes I would also un-drain(? reflood?) the Pennine moors and reinstate blanket bogs there (wildfire prevention and carbon sink)...... but I fear I am straying off into areas possibly considered political. Oops.
GC
Hydration: some watermelon and a touch of salt followed by water is effective for me.
The increase of concrete/tarmac etc instead of greenery is something that I think is often overlooked in impact of temperature increases. Adapting to a changing climate- however it is caused- is much more difficult if you are working against nature not with it. Not just heat/sun, but also things like run-off from increased hard surfaces that have replaced gardens. Also the nature of building materials- a house coated with lime render and with shutters will stay cooler naturally. As would a Devon cob house with thatched roof and small windows with shutters. But no, we build with concrete and steel and loads of glass- then rely on finite resources to maintain a liveable temperature (all year around). Nuts!
But then again I am a radical, I am firmly in favour of banning astroturf and adding a charge of at least £1000/year to every household where they have paved over their garden or replaced grass with astroturf in the past 10 years. The cost of their decision being bourne by the general public and the environment, not by the person benefiting from it. And yes I would also un-drain(? reflood?) the Pennine moors and reinstate blanket bogs there (wildfire prevention and carbon sink)...... but I fear I am straying off into areas possibly considered political. Oops.
GC
Yep, that's the one. Not highly effective but it makes a difference. I've got a large wet towel hanging on the back of a couple of dining chairs with the fan blowing hard at it.
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