Barrington Lodge Vet Clinic

11/07/2025

Recent research by Vet Compass and the The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) showed correlation between human heat warning and heat stroke cases.

Yellow heat health alerts are now in force with temperatures expected to hit 34C (93F) in parts of the UK this weekend.

Is it true that if we use cold water on heat stroke pets they will go into shock?

One of the most common things we still hear is that we can only use tepid water on a pet with heat stroke, incase they get some complications like hypothermic overshoot, peripheral vasoconstriction hindering a cooling response, and cardiogenic shock...

We have heard not to use cold water in case it causes shock... this rarely happens!

But guess what? In a recent study over 26% of dogs presented with heat stroke died, with flat faced breeds making up nearly half of heat stroke cases seen in the study.

You should:

💧Get someone to call the local veterinary practice and tell them you're going to travel down with a heat stroke patient
💧Pour, hose or if safe immerse the pet in very cold water (this should obviously be done under constant supervision, ensuring the head is fully above water and immersion should not be attempted if the animal is too large, or you are unable to do so without hurting yourself)
💧NB: If using a hose pipe, make sure it has run through until cold, as they can often contain water that is extremely hot in the tubing initially
💧Do not drape in towels and leave them in situ. Keep the cold water flowing.
💧Move to a cool, shaded area
💧Prepare to transport to vets in a cold, air conditioned car

In studies they found that:

🌅International consensus from sports medicine organisations supports treating EHS with early rapid cooling by immersing the casualty in cold water.
🌅Ice-water immersion has been shown to be highly effective in exertional heat stroke, with a zero fatality rate in large case series of younger, fit patients.
🌅Hyperthermic individuals were cooled twice as fast by Cold Water Immersion as by passive recovery.
🌅No complications occurred during the treatment of three older patients with severe heat stroke were treated with cold‐water immersion.
🌅Cold water immersion (CWI) is the preferred cooling modality in EHS guidelines and the optimal method applicable to UK Service Personnel
🌅Studies suggest using either ice-water or cold-water immersion

The best intervention is PREVENTION, but if you find yourself with an animal with heat stroke, using cold water either by pouring, hosing or ideally (if safe) immersion then this may help reduce their temperature to safe levels while you transport to a veterinary practice.

Read more below with updates from Hot Dogs - canine heatstroke education for dog owners

https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/cool-icy-cold-or-tepid

10/07/2025

Temperatures are raising to dangerous figures over the weekend, take care of your pets. Don't take them for walks, keep them indoors where they can be kept cool 😎

04/07/2025

03/07/2025

Please take note that we are closed Saturday 12th July and Saturday 19th July
We apologies for any inconvenience, please visit Petmedics for emergencies
Thank you 😊

03/07/2025

WE NEED A NEW HOME!!

Hello!! My names Sophia and my beautiful baby girl is called hope

02/07/2025

25/06/2025

We all know how important it is to keep our dogs and cats cool on warm days, but may not realise that it's just as important for small animals too ⛅

Small pets like rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, and rats should be kept cool and hydrated during warm weather to prevent them from developing life-threatening heatstroke.

Signs of heatstroke in small pets:
- Drooling.
- Quick breaths.
- Struggling to breathe.
- Acting very sleepy or lethargic.
- Collapsing.
- Seizures.

It's also a good idea to keep on top of cleaning their enclosures to prevent flystrike or a build up of wet bedding and mouldy food 🐰🐰

Learn more:
Rabbits - https://pdsa.me/gLqU
Guinea pigs - https://pdsa.me/EEcU
Other small pets - https://pdsa.me/RlMU

[Visual description: An infographic titled: "Keeping small pets cool." It features tips such as: Keeping pets in the shade, offering safe watery fruits and vegetables (in moderation), swapping out plastic houses for something cooler like cardboard boxes, freezing a water bottle and wrapping it in a towel before placing it next to your pets' enclosure, placing a fan in their room but not pointed directly at them (making sure they can't nibble any wires), grooming long-haired or fluffy pets, refreshing their water every day, and putting a cool tile or empty ceramic bowl/tea cup in their enclosure for them to sit on/in.]

24/06/2025

Missing cat: please share:

Our cat Blackjack, he hasn't been home in 2-3 days.

We live on Sinderland Road, WA14 5JN.

He's very distinctive, all black with a pink nose. He is neutered and chipped.

Please contact us on 0161 928 0101 or email us on [email protected].

21/06/2025

What NOT to do if you think your dog is suffering with heat stroke.

1) Do not sq**rt lemon juice in their mouths.🤦🏼‍♀️

This is a complete myth, will only stress out an already stressed dog even more & may delay them getting the proper treatment they need

This advice appears to be more common on forums and pages for brachycephalic (flat faced) dogs , which is hugely concerning as they are at such a high risk of heat stroke already

2) Do not be afraid to get them wet with very cold water

The quicker we cool them down the better and the colder the water, the faster this will happen

If they don’t survive after cooling, it was because the damage was already done, not because of cold water

Protect their airways if they are collapsed or panting uncontrollably and take more care if they are older but you will never do the wrong thing by cooling a hot dog with cold water.

3) If you think they are struggling on a walk, don’t turn for home immediately.

Take a few moments to get them in the shade, in a breeze and wet if there is water around. Let them cool first before they need to walk back, even if you go slowly

And when you get back to the car, actively cool it down first, with aircon or opening all the doors and pay attention to the boot if that is where your dog travels, because it can get incredibly hot under the glass and the aircon rarely reaches it properly.

If you have any concerns at all, get your dog wet and head straight to the vet

Stay safe guys!

21/06/2025