Why flat faces and heat do not mix 鼻ぺちゃと暑さが相性最悪な理由
Dogs cool themselves mostly by panting. A short-nosed dog has less airway to pant through, so the same heat that a Labrador shrugs off becomes real work for a Frenchie or a Boston. Add a dark coat — Gunso's brindle is basically black — and the dog is heating up faster and cooling down slower at the same time.
犬は主に「ハッハッ」と息をして体温を下げます。鼻が短い子はその通り道が短いので、他の犬が平気な暑さでも本気で苦しくなります。軍曹のように毛が黒ければ、温まりやすく冷めにくいのが重なりますの。
When we walk 散歩の時間
- Before sunrise or after sunset. In July and August that means out the door around 5 a.m., or after 7:30 p.m. Midday does not happen. 日の出前か日没後。7〜8月は朝5時台か夜7時半以降。日中は歩きません。
- The back-of-hand test. Hand flat on the pavement for five seconds. If it is uncomfortable for us, it is burning their paws. We turn around. 手の甲を地面に5秒。人が熱いと感じたら、肉球は焼けています。引き返します。
- Short and slow. Twenty minutes of sniffing beats forty minutes of marching. Gunso decides the pace; he is nearly nine and has earned it. 短く、ゆっくり。40分の行進より20分のにおい嗅ぎ。ペースは軍曹が決めます。
- Harness, not collar. Nothing around the throat of a dog who already breathes through a straw. 首輪ではなくハーネス。もともと息がしにくい子の喉を締めません。
What we carry 持ち物
- Water, more than seems reasonable, and a folding bowl. 水は「多すぎる」と思う量。折りたたみの器。
- A small towel we can wet and lay over the belly and paws if someone starts to look hot. Cool water, not ice water — sudden cold is its own problem. 濡らしてお腹と足に当てる小さなタオル。冷たい水で、氷水ではなく。急な冷やしすぎも危険です。
- The phone, with the vet's number already in favourites. かかりつけの番号をお気に入りに入れた電話。
The signs that mean stop, now 「今すぐ止まれ」のサイン
Frenchies and Bostons snort and huff as a lifestyle, so the trick is knowing what is not normal for your dog. In our house, any of these ends the walk and starts cooling:
- Panting that is loud, fast, and does not settle after a minute in the shade. 大きく速い息づかいが、日陰で1分休んでも落ち着かない。
- Thick, ropey drool. 糸を引くような濃いよだれ。
- Gums that look very red — or very pale. 歯茎が真っ赤、あるいは真っ白に近い。
- Wobbly walking, sitting down and refusing to move, glassy eyes. ふらつく、座り込んで動かない、目がうつろ。
- Vomiting or diarrhoea in the heat. 暑い中での嘔吐や下痢。
Heatstroke in a flat-faced dog can go from "he looks a bit hot" to an emergency faster than people expect. We would rather make an unnecessary phone call than a necessary one too late.
短頭種の熱中症は「ちょっと暑そう」から急変します。無駄な電話になるほうが、手遅れの電話よりずっといいのです。
Indoors 家の中
- The air conditioning stays on. We keep it around 26°C and the dogs choose their own spot — Ponsuke on the cooling mat, Gunso on the bare floor by the door, with great dignity. 冷房はつけたまま。26℃くらいで、居場所は本人たちが選びます。ポン助はひんやりマット、軍曹は玄関の床。
- Water in more than one room. Flat-faced dogs drink in short, messy bursts and give up if the bowl is far. 水は複数の部屋に。鼻ぺちゃは短くバシャバシャ飲むので、器が遠いと諦めます。
- Munch the Bengal drinks only from the fountain and only when watched. Cats hide heat stress well, so on hot days we count how often he drinks. ムンクは給水器の流れる水しか飲みません。猫は暑さのつらさを隠すので、暑い日は飲む回数を数えています。
The one rule we never break 絶対に破らない一つのルール
Nobody waits in the car. Not for a minute, not with the window cracked, not in the shade. A parked car in a Japanese summer is an oven with seats, and a flat-faced dog has no margin. If the dogs cannot come in with us, they stay home with the air conditioning.
車の中で待たせない。1分でも、窓を開けても、日陰でも。夏の車内は座席つきのオーブンです。一緒に入れないお店なら、犬は冷房のある家でお留守番ですわ。
If you have a flat-faced dog and a hot summer, we hope one line here is useful. And if your vet tells you something different from what we do — listen to your vet. They have met your dog. We have only met ours, and one of them is currently asleep on the cooling mat with his tongue out.
鼻ぺちゃの子と暑い夏をお過ごしの方に、一行でもお役に立てば幸いです。獣医さんのお話がここと違ったら、獣医さんを信じてくださいませ。うちの子しか知らない者の、うちの子のためのやり方ですので。