Hi All,

My brother have a 3 months old husky in the Philippines. What are the best way to take care husky in tropical country?

Thank you

Every husky is different and some will tolerate different weather better than others.

My biggest concern might actually be humidity over heat in the Philippines.

Huskies are typically high energy breeds, so they need a fair bit of exercise to burn off that energy. Planning your schedule to get them that exercise in the early morning or late evening to avoid the hottest part of the day is the best idea.

Make sure they have some place cool to hang out. If it's an inside dog, make sure there is available AC, or fans, a cool concrete floor, someplace they can go to get or stay cool. If they are an outside dog, make sure they have shade and air circulation. Outside dogs can also benefit from having a small shaded pool they can cool off in (kiddie pools work great).

Make sure they always have access to water. Keep this in mind for exercising also. Bring a water bottle and a portable bowl and take breaks to give the dog a drink.

Cool snacks and toys help. Freeze hotdogs, carrots, apples, etc in cupcake tins full of water. Freeze toys in larger buckets of water. This can give them hours of entertainment as they eat and lick the ice, dig out the toy, etc. Give them ice cubes. Even just soaking a rope toy in water and then sticking it in the freezer can give them a nice cool toy to play with for awhile.

Groom regularly. The heavy coat of a husky can actually help the dog stay cool, but only if it's groomed and maintained well. Matted fur, clumps of dirt, etc can restrict air flow through the coat and make it harder for the dog to stay cool. Do not shave a husky! Just brush them regularly.

Learn to identify when the dog is too hot or needs rest. The position of the tongue, thickness of the saliva, and breathing rate are all great ways to identify if a dog is hot or tired.

Very good Dave! I was considering just how to reply to him and you covered every thought that came to mind.

I'll echo, for purposes of emphasis, that the humidity level in the PI would be more of a concern than the heat. My pups live year round without any artificial cooling (no A/C) and our temps get into the 100° range regularly over the summer but our humidity is typically in the 10-25% range.

The explanation - for the benefit of the op - is that dogs cool themselves primarily by evaporative cooling from their tongues - the higher the humidity, the less effective that becomes. Secondary cooling comes from heat radiation from their ears and paws (which is the only area where they *really* sweat). Lastly, though probably neither visible nor effective with Huskies, when they begin to overheat their bodies will conduct more blood (thus more heat) to the surface of their skins causing them to blush (if you can see it).