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Baby,
It's Hot Out There!
Heat
Stroke and Overheating in Dogs: Treatment & Prevention.
Nate Baxter, DVM
As temperatures begin to rise, we need to make
sure our dogs are kept cool. If your dog is outside, make sure
there is shade and plenty of fresh water. Exercise your dog
early morning or evening not during the hottest time of the day.
Give your dog a pool to play in to help keep her cool. Never
leave a dog in a car during the hot summer days; not even while
you just run into the store.
If you aren't careful, your dog could suffer from
heat stroke. Read on for symptoms
and guidelines for treating your dog if she does overheat.
Neka enjoys a splash in her pool.
Guideline and overview for dogs that overheat.
. . . . .The first thing that needs to be understood is that dogs and people
are different enough that most of the info cannot cross lines. I do not
profess to know what the appropriate procedures for people other than what I
learned in first aid.
Electrolyte replacement: Dogs do not
lose enough electrolytes thru exercise to make a difference, but if the dog
gets truly into heat stroke the physiology changes will make them necessary.
BUT oral replacement at that point is futile, they need IV and lots of it.
Cooling: The point of evaporative
cooling being the most efficient is correct. However, in a muggy
environment, that will not help as much, so I do cool with the coldest water
I can find and will use ice depending on the situation. The best way is to
run water over the dog, so there is always fresh water in contact. When you
immerse a dog in a tub, the water trapped in the hair coat will get warm
next to the dog, and act as an insulator against the cool water and cooling
stops. If you can run water over the dog and place it in front of a fan that
is the best. Misting the dog with water will only help if you are in a dry
environment or in front of a fan.
Just getting the dog wet in not the point, you want the water to be cool
itself, or to evaporate.
For MOST situation all you will need to do is get the dog in a cooler
environment, ie shade, or in the cab of the truck with the air conditioning
on (driving around so the truck does not overheat and the AC is more
efficient).
When I had one dog I just pulled the wire crate out of the car and put it in
some shade and hopefully a breeze. But having 2 dogs and running from one
stake to another, that was not feasible. So I built a platform to put the
wire crates on, this raises the dog up in the truck box where air flow
better. Then I placed a 3 speed box fan in front blowing on the dogs with a
foot of space to allow better airflow.
I purchased a power inverter that connects to the battery and allows the 3
speed fan to run from the truck power. It has an automatic feature that
prevents it from draining the battery. When I turned that fan on medium I
would find that the dogs where asleep, breathing slowly and appeared very
relaxed and comfortable in a matter of 20 minutes or less, even on very hot
muggy days.
Alcohol: {Rubbing Alcohol] I did not
carry it but probably will next year. It is very effective at cooling due to
the rapid evaporation. It should be used when other methods are not working,
but do not hesitate to use it. Due to the thicker skin and rapid evaporation
I do not worry about it being absorbed. Plus we recommend using rubbing
alcohol, which is propylene alcohol, not ethyl, for those of you not aware.
So do not try to drink it<VBG>.
I purchased those cooling pads, but found that the dogs would not lay on
them. I would hold them on the back of a dog that just worked to get a quick
cool, but probably will not mess with them next summer. I also bought a pair
of battery operated fans but found them pretty useless. Spend your money on
the power inverter and get a real fan.
Watching temp: If you feel your dog is
in danger of heat injury, check its temp and write it down. Keep checking
the temp every 3 minutes. Don't forget to shake it down completely each
time, sounds silly, but when are worried about your companion, things tend
to get mixed up.
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This is VERY IMPORTANT:
Once the temp STARTS to drop, STOP ALL COOLING EFFORTS. The cooling process
will continue even though you have stopped. If the temp starts at 106.5, and
then next time it drops to 105.8, stop cooling the dog, dry it off, and
continue monitoring. You will be amazed how it continues to go down. If you
do not stop until the temp is 102, the temp will drop on down to 99 or even
lower. I cannot emphasis that point enough. |
Limit water:
When the dog is so heated that it is panting severely, only let it
have a few laps of water. Water in the stomach does not cool the dog, you
just need to keep the mouth wet so the panting is more effective. Do not
worry about hydration until the temp has started down. A dog panting heavily
taking in large amounts of water is a risk of bloat. Due to the heavy
panting they will swallow air mix in a large amount of water they can bloat.
Once the temp is going down and panting has slowed to more normal panting
then allow water. The dog will rehydrate it self after temp is normal.
If the dog has a serious problem and even though you have gotten the temp
normal, get the dog to a vet, as it can still need IV fluids and some
medication. Also, a case of heat stroke can induce a case of hemorrhagic
gastroenteritis (not parvo), with a ton of very bloody diarrhea and a lot of
fluid and electrolyte loss. These cases need aggressive treatment.
Prevention: The best method of treatment
is prevention. Learn to watch your dog, and see the changes in the size of
the tongue, and how quickly it goes down. Learn your dogs response to the
different environments, and be careful when you head south for an early
season hunt test or trial. I have been to Nashville at the end of May the
last 2 years, only 5 hours away, but the difference in temp and humidity did
effect the dogs as they were used to more spring weather in Ohio. Try
different things in training to help the dog cool and learn what works
better.
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Another very important point:
Do not swim your hot dog to cool it then put in put in a box/tight crate.
Remember, evaporation can not take place in a tight space, and the box will
turn into a sauna. Carry a stake out chain, and let the dog cool and dry
before putting it up. |
Whew!! Did not think this would get so long. I hope this is easy to
understand and helps provide some info that will be useful.
Remember: Prevention- learn your dog. It is
worth the time and effort.
Permission is granted to re-post this article
as long as the originals are not edited and credit is given.
"How many times has this happened to
you!!! You park your vehicle in a parking lot at the beach, shopping
mall, grocery store, etc. It's warm if not hot outside and lo and
behold...there's a dog or animal sitting alone in a hot car.
Unfortunately it happens all too often.
The Animal Protection Institute has a website
www.MyDogIsCool.com They
sell cards that can be placed on the windshield of a vehicle alerting
people to the danger of leaving their dog alone in a hot car.
There is also an 8" x 10" flyer that can be downloaded and printed from
the same website. Wouldn't it be great if shopping malls, stores, etc. would post this
flyer at all their entrances to emphasize the danger of leaving our dogs
alone in a hot car. There are plenty of community
bulleting boards in supermarkets, laundrymats, vet clinic's, pet stores,
etc., that would also possibly allow people to post this flyer. If it would save
at least one dog's life...that would make it worthwhile.
There are numerous reports of dogs being left in hot
cars every summer, including some with terrible endings. Please remember that
the inside of a car can quickly become too hot for your dog. Please leave
your buddy home with a cooling fan while you are out and about.
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