{"id":13466,"date":"2022-06-28T09:30:11","date_gmt":"2022-06-28T14:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/?p=13466"},"modified":"2026-02-17T10:07:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:07:54","slug":"peculiar-pet-facts-dogs-can-sweat-through-their-paws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/blog\/health\/conditions\/peculiar-pet-facts-dogs-can-sweat-through-their-paws\/","title":{"rendered":"Peculiar Pet Facts: Dogs Can Sweat Through Their Paws"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to our Peculiar Pet Facts series, where we investigate the oddities of our pets and explore the science behind them. <\/em><\/p>\n

Most of us have probably heard that dogs don\u2019t sweat. And if we\u2019re talking about how dogs cool themselves, it\u2019s true that sweat isn\u2019t the main way dogs release body heat when they\u2019re a little hot under the collar. But did you know that dogs can<\/em> actually sweat, just a little bit? It\u2019s pawfectly true!<\/p>\n

Dogs Do<\/em> Have Sweat Glands<\/h2>\n

Dogs actually have two types of sweat glands: apocrine glands and merocrine glands. Apocrine glands are the glands that humans use to sweat, but in dogs these glands aren\u2019t used to release sweat; instead they secrete pheromones for sending \u201cscent messages<\/a>\u201d to other dogs.<\/p>\n

However, dogs do have merocrine sweat glands in their paw pads (and possibly noses) that can<\/em> produce sweat. But this tiny amount of sweat isn\u2019t going to cool their body down \u2014 so that\u2019s where panting comes in.<\/p>\n

Panting: The Best Way to Cool a Hot Dog<\/h2>\n

The main way that your dog regulates their temperature is through panting. Panting allows air to circulate quickly through their respiratory system and for water to evaporate from your dog\u2019s tongue, mouth and upper airways, which cools their body down. If dogs are hot, they pant more than usual to release more body heat. And here\u2019s a bonus fact: Dogs can also release a little body heat through blood vessels close to the surface of their skin.<\/p>\n

Water, Water and More Cool Water<\/h2>\n

Panting (and to a lesser extent those sweaty paws) causes moisture loss from your dog\u2019s body. This water needs to be replaced; otherwise they could become dehydrated, which can lead to serious health conditions. Water helps your dog\u2019s body maintain a normal temperature, especially when it\u2019s evaporated during panting (or through that little bit of sweating).<\/p>\n

If you notice your dog is panting more than usual, find a shady area or an air conditioned room and offer them cool, fresh water<\/a>. Always make sure your dog has access to plenty of water, particularly when they\u2019re outside on a hot day. If you\u2019re away from home and it\u2019s a hot or humid day, it\u2019s a good idea to pack a collapsible bowl and water bottles so you can give your dog water, no matter where you are.<\/p>\n

Sometimes Panting Isn\u2019t Enough<\/h2>\n

If a dog can\u2019t pant fast enough, or if the environmental temperature and\/or humidity is too high, their body temperature can increase to dangerous levels. A high core temperature can cause heat exhaustion or worse, heat stroke. Signs of heat exhaustion include excessive panting, moving slowly, lots of drooling, restlessness and red skin on the dog\u2019s muzzle, ears and belly. If a dog\u2019s body temperature rises to greater than 104\u00b0F, they are at risk of heat stroke, which can be fatal. Overweight dogs<\/a> are particularly at risk for developing heat stroke. Signs of heat stroke include pale or red gums, staggering or wobbling when walking, seizures, fast heart rate, vomiting and loss of consciousness.<\/p>\n

If you dog is showing signs of heat exhaustion, you should move them to a cool area (like an air-conditioned room, if available) and encourage them to drink fresh, cool water (but don\u2019t force them to drink). If you suspect your dog has heat stroke, this is a medical emergency and you should seek veterinary care immediately. If possible, cool your dog down with room-temperature water (not ice water) or apply wet towels before getting them into the car. Then drive them to a veterinary clinic with the air conditioning on or the car windows down.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Panting is the main way for dogs to release body heat, but they do have the ability to sweat from their paw pads. So if dogs can sweat from their paws, does that mean they get \u201csweaty palms\u201d when they\u2019re anxious? A question for another time!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

RELATED POST: Protect Your Pets from Summer\u2019s Heat<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to our Peculiar Pet Facts series, where we investigate the oddities of our pets and explore the science behind them. Most of us have probably heard that dogs don\u2019t sweat. And if we\u2019re talking about how dogs cool themselves, it\u2019s true that sweat isn\u2019t the main way dogs release body heat when they\u2019re a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":13468,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Peculiar Pet Facts: Dogs Can Sweat Through Their Paws","_seopress_titles_desc":"Did you know that dogs actually produce sweat from their paw pads? Read further to learn why their sweaty paws won't necessarily cool them down very much!","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[291,28],"tags":[10,799,35],"class_list":["post-13466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conditions","category-health","tag-dog","tag-hot-dogs","tag-pet-health"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}