Odd question

[in2adventure]

I live at 7800ft and bounce around 8000-10,000ft on a reg basis. My first month here (4 years ago) was hell, but now I have no issues with altitude and can bounce around from sea level and back up without having to acclimate more than a day or so.

 

My question is, do dogs have to acclimate? I've always wondered this. Both my pups came from Coeur d'Alene, ID area. The elevation is around 2000 ft or so ft depending on where you are. I've never seen any symptoms of altitude sickness or symptoms from lack of O2 and they both seem to be able to run forever without losing wind. Even on the first day ever being here after I adopted them. I KNOW I'm at altitude when I run Everything seems a little bit harder for people here and I was wondering if dogs suffered the same way.

[Laurae]

Some dogs feel the difference in altitude. I've got a friend whose dog would get loopy (like seeking rest on a dangerous rocky outcropping instead of on the side of the much safer trail) when climbing 14ers.

[mbc1963]

Makes sense that other mammals would have the same reaction to altitude that we do, since it's about ability to intake oxygen.

 

Mary

[in2adventure]

That's interesting about the dog getting loopy. I do a lot of hiking with the dogs and have never really noticed a change. They both came here pretty young (8 months and 5 months). I wonder if that helps the body adjust. It would make sence if other species had problems though.

[bcnewe2]

I've been wondering the same thing.

We've been at about 5500ft for 3 months. I am just now starting to really adjust. I can still tell when we hike. I"ve learned to rest a bit when winded.

When I got here all the natives told me to drink drink drink water. So I did. I really think it helped.

THe dogs did not get the same directions but I notice that their water intake is more than triple that of AR. I fill a 12 quart bucket everyother day for 4 dogs and that's not counting the outside water buckets. I started out using reg. water bowls but quickly found I couldn't ever keep them filled. Other than the water intake I really don't notice a difference in any of them, even the old girls.

[bc4ever]

My brother rescued a BC/Aussie mix when he was home from Colorado for a visit. Home being flat NW Ohio. He lives at between 7,000 and 8,000 feet and I had wondered the same thing about the altitude, but he said the dog seemed to have no ill effects. Being a firefighter, he would probably recognize the symptoms of altitude sickness, human or animal. My sister always gets sick when she goes there. Drinking lots of water does seem to help me though. Probably depends on the dog, like it does in humans.

[sweet_ceana]

Hmmm, I am going back to CO next weekend (HOORAY HOME!) and we plan on taking Poke and Ceana hiking. Ceana was born in CO and lived there the first 8-9months of her life. Poke is an AZ boy through and through. I swear he barely grows and fur at all he is so aclimated to the heat. I will have to watch him and see how he does. Last time I went home I thought it was easier to breath. The air in Phoenix feels heavy to me so it will be interesting to see if DH, Ceana and myself can still hold up.

[in2adventure]

Let me know how it goes in CO. Have fun too! I find going back and forth from sea level to high elevation doesn't bother me anymore. Getting up over 11,000 makes me really tired I'm convinced NOTHING slows Grady down. He has the energy of 3 pink bunnies Lucia has always been good at pacing herself and it's hard to tell if things bother her other than heat. That will stop her in her tracks.

 

Drinking lots of water is highly recommended for everyone at higher elevations. I guess the dogs know better than most of the sick people I deal with. When asked if they've been drinking fluids, their answer is usually something like...Yep, had 2 sodas with lunch and a beer with dinner

 

Thanks for all the good responses. It's interesting to hear how other pups handle it.

[bcnewe2]

I was out driving around with the dogs. I went up in elevation from about 5500 to about 8 quickly. About the same time it was hitting me, I happened to notice that all the dogs started yawning. I think their ears were popping. IT didn't seem to bother them but, all the same, they all were yawning right along with me trying to pop my own ears.

 

Don't ya just wish you could talk to them sometimes....for real??

[Jumpin Boots]

I moved to Colorado in 02/03 (I think) to experience Vail and the ski life. I defiantely noticed a difference, and while I got use to it on a day to day basis, struggled for a good 4 months when running or hiking, which I did a ton of in WA for years, although we live at about 400 feet. In the spring I came back to WA and moved my only dog at the time, Smudge, and my mare Lucy out there for the summer. Smudge didn't seem to have any issues adjusting then I adopted Boots from the Eagle County shelter in Colorado and he never seemed to have issues, not to mention the fact that he was a hyper 10 month old bc. My quarter horse mare however, definately seemed to have an adjustment period. She had been in top shape before I left in the fall, then sat for 5 month, so her muscle tone was down a little but not bad. I did a lot of long trotting with her to slowly build back up her lung capacity and noticed that she took about twice as long to get her breath back after a barrel run then she ever did in WA, even after she was muscled back up.