Arrived in Tucson, AZ two weeks ago with Chows

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gebower
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Arrived in Tucson, AZ two weeks ago with Chows

Post by gebower »

Hi Everyone,
Just letting you know how it went with my Chows with triple digit temps. We've been going thru a lot of ice. One bag every one or two days. I keep their water iced day and night and that helps. I'm in a house that has an evaporator cooling system or "swamp cooler". It was a little rough on them in the beginning but if you keep a close eye on them you'll know how they're handling it. They like to play early in the morning when it's like 78 degrees but it heats up quick here to 103-108. Then they take it easy and sleep inside on a cement floor which is cool and a fan and ice water of course. They''re appetites aren't so good right now, understandable. They're both young so they seem to be handling it. Max is two and Zeena is one. On the way down, I drove the Uhaul truck and my wife drove our Trailblazer with the Chows in the back. It has rear AC so they were getting by okay. Had one incident where we had both Chows at a rest area and we were eating. I had them both on cable tieouts tied to trees. This young woman comes along with her little dog and mind you we were way off to the side to stay away from people and Zeena got excited and l;unged at the dog and snapped her colloar. The young woman said that it scared her because she had been bitten by a Chow before. That made me mad. So, why did you have to come over by us????????????? It took me and my wife a half hour to catch her. She once headed down the ditch toward the expressway and that tore my heart out because I knew she was about to die. But, she turned around and came back when my wife called her.
We stayed in a Super 8 motel a couple of nights and a couple of nights in a rest area. It took us four days to go from Michigan to Tucson, AZ with our Chows.
Gene and Carol Bower
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Sirchow
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Re: Arrived in Tucson, AZ two weeks ago with Chows

Post by Sirchow »

I am glad you have all arrived safely - that was some drive. You must have been so scared when Zeena got loose and headed for the road. Alfie did that once in a motorway service station. He got loose and heard a motor bike and just took off towards it. I nearly died. :shock:

The heat will take some getting used to for them. I guess they will get used to it eventually as there are other chows living in those conditions. They may not need so much to eat if they are less active. Do they like water to paddle in or are they of the water hating school? It is hard to imagine those temperatures as 78 degrees is a pretty warm day here in Scotland! I do remember landing in Phoenix on a day when it was 110 degrees and going to the airport door and just getting hit by it. It hurt to breath!
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Re: Arrived in Tucson, AZ two weeks ago with Chows

Post by Grab »

Aesop is an AZ Chow as well. He thinks ice in his water is the devil though.
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Re: Arrived in Tucson, AZ two weeks ago with Chows

Post by summer_rose03 »

Do a search on here for ice water threads. It can be bad for them and cause bloat (deadly condition).
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Re: Arrived in Tucson, AZ two weeks ago with Chows

Post by chow fancier »

Congrats on the move and do look for the connection between ice water and bloat. There appears to be some evidence that ice can contribute to bloat.
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Re: Arrived in Tucson, AZ two weeks ago with Chows

Post by CoraP. »

I'm glad to hear you all made it safely to Arizona! I'm sure the heat is a big change, but it sounds like your chows are handling it well. How do you and Carol like the new place? It must be a big change for you guys too!
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Re: Arrived in Tucson, AZ two weeks ago with Chows

Post by fillyok »

Glad to hear you all made it one piece. I don't understand some people either..."i'm afraid of chows, so I want to come near yours". boneheads
The furkids will adapt to the new digs soon enough. We've been in triple digits for almost a month and they stay inside most of the time. Enjoy your new home!!
“No one appreciates the special genius of your conversation like a dog does”...Christopher Morley
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Re: Arrived in Tucson, AZ two weeks ago with Chows

Post by bubba »

i lived in tooele ut with a swamper.. besser than a poke in the eye with a stick .. some change michigander to az...rona. .

if possible hang a window unit or portable , referigated air in the sleeping quaters for a 'cool room ' .... be sure and get some little fans and have them down on the floor blowing summer and winter,, all chow i know love the fan..
old chyno [ the biter] would go back to the 'cool room' often , he was old and dying [ god bless hisstrong and loyal soul ]

think micro climate ,, you would be suprised how deligt ful it can be at 110 and dew point 30 with a water mister blowing..steady on.. [ out side of course.. ]
if i had my druthers i druter be in tuson at 110 and 30 dew than Shreve'pot La at 90 and 75 dew.. been both ..

m
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Re: Arrived in Tucson, AZ two weeks ago with Chows

Post by fillyok »

I'm with you Bubba...I'll take the dry heat over the humidity any day. I went TDY to Tucson a few times...I thought it was great. I remember this shaved ice place called EG's (I think). It was awesome in the summer time.
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chowpups
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Re: Arrived in Tucson, AZ two weeks ago with Chows

Post by chowpups »

I've been out to the scottsdale area of AZ in the summer time and its dry and hot.. My son lived there for awhile and I'd come out to visit and he'd say "its dry heat" .. he got use to it very easily but for me I'll go at Nov.. I liked that temp.. Anyway his friends moved out to the area with a long haired st.bernard and they had a hottub in ground outside on their deck which Mo claimed as his personal wading pool (they never turned the heat on in it). Thats how he survived the AZ heat.. it was so cute to see him just sitting in it while we all sat around and had a drink (or 2) and felt like he was part of the party.. He and his wife also drove out with the dog.. major drooler the car was soaked by the time they got there. From PA to AZ some nice driving.. looking through the drool on the windshield.. LOL
Good luck out there and keep those pups cool.
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rufnedge-2
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Re: Arrived in Tucson, AZ two weeks ago with Chows

Post by rufnedge-2 »

Sounds like you're doing great with dealing with the heat... I hear that chow's like marble floors too.

I think the issue with ice cubes is... my personal motto :
If they are panting and overheated no ice cubes, just water.
If they are breathing normal and appear cool / normal body temperature, ice cube is ok. Actually 1/4 of a standard size rectangular cube we will give, or little ice chips.

This may not an exact scientific metaphor... Do you make homeade gravy? If you do then you know that it will only turn out correctly when adding cold to hot. Ok here I go, I boil the turkey carcas in water for about 1/2 hour. I've also retained the turkey drippings from the pan i roasted it in. I pluck the meat and some skin off of the carcus and put it back in the water. Throw the carcus away making sure it's at the bottom of the trash can, away from prying eyes. I mix the drippings in the water, mix it all up. Should make about 3 2-people servings. Take a couple cups of that and put into a pan, heat to boiling for about 5 minutes. In a coffee mug, take about 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and a littlest bit of cold water to make a paste, mix real good. Add it slowly to the hot liquid, keep stirring. You've made gravy. ---- Not to ruin anyone's appetite but think of how giving an ice cube to a hot dog can be. It may coagulate the blood, and probably hurt their tummies.

This is my personal understanding, not a true scientific fact that i know of.
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Re: Arrived in Tucson, AZ two weeks ago with Chows

Post by Auddymay »

How did I miss this? I am happy to hear everyone made the trip safely, save that rest stop scare. I have one similar in Cleveland. It is heart-stopping, frustrating, and something I would not wish on anyone! As to the temps...Michigan has temps in the mid 70's today...cooler by the lake, maybe even a sleeved shirt would be needed...I cannot even imagine. I never lived in dry heat, and when I went to Vegas, it was New Year's and 40.
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