A Bullmastiff in Saudi Arabia
A friend of mine needs to move to Saudi Arabia for a while and he asked me whether his Bullmastiff would survive the climate. Well, most of Saudi Arabia has a desert climate, except the province of Asir, but unfortunately he is not going there. This sort of climate can get very extreme. Temperatures go up to 45°C in the summer and drop in the evening. So while you feel like you’re getting a heatstroke during the day, you’ll be cold at night. The temperature rarely goes below 0°C in winter. The spring and autumn are the best with average temperatures of around 29°C. There is very little rain in Saudi Arabia, so the flora and fauna is not very exciting.
Knowing all that, I told my friend that Saudi Arabia will not be Carlo’s (his Bullmastiff) favorite place to stay, but he will survive. They will be living in an air conditioned apartment anyway so as long as they avoid the midday heat and go for walks early morning and late evening, they should be fine. I also told my friend to watch out for any signs of a possible heat stroke such as:
- Increased rectal temperature
- Lying down, being passive
- Vigorous panting
- Dark red gums
- Dizziness or disorientation
- Dry mucus membranes
- Collapse and/or loss of consciousness
- Thick saliva
If one ore more of these happens, the dog should be cooled down ASAP. It’s best not to wait for a vet, because it may be too late. Do the cooling by removing your dog from the sun and placing wet clothes over it. Don’t just bang a bucket of cold water on the poor animal, because that could kill it straight away.
While most dogs, including the Bullmastiff, will do okay in hot climates, owners must be cautious all the time and watch out for signs of abnormal behavior.
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