The dog days of summer…
Here in the UK it has been a brutally hot week and us humans have been suffering like dogs. In fact, our dogs probably have suffered even more. After all, they have to walk around in this heat wearing a fur coat and unable to sweat. 2020 is on course to becoming one of the hottest years ever recorded and this means that weeks like this one will become more frequent in general and in July and August in particular.
So, spare a thought for your furry loved ones and their suffering in this heat. A new study measured the frequency with which dogs in the UK were treated by a vet for heat stroke and similar symptoms. No surprise that the dogs that were most vulnerable to heat were older dogs and bigger dogs. Dogs that way more than 50kg are 3.4 times more likely to get a heat stroke than smaller dogs weighing less than 10kg. Short-nosed and flat-faced dogs like French Bulldogs, Pugs, etc. were twice as likely to suffer from heatstroke as other dogs.
And dogs with a thick fur coat are generally more likely to suffer from heatstroke. Golden Retrievers and Labradors are close relatives to each other, yet, Goldens have thicker and longer fur and thus are 2.6 times more likely to suffer heatstroke.
Incidence of heatstroke in UK dogs by breed

Source: Hall et al. (2020).
So please take care of your dogs in summer and make sure they have enough shade and water at all times. And never, ever, leave them in a locked car in the sun. If I see that, I will break the car window, no questions asked. And if you don’t have a dog and see that, you should do that too. You may not be a dog lover but be aware that our mood has a significant influence on stock market returns. And if a dog dies, many people will be very sad and stock markets will drop…
My dog, Mr. Stevens enjoying the sun
