06/26/2024
My posts and reels about heat stroke in dogs are getting a bit of attention.
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That’s good! I love that y’all wanna do right by your dogs.
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I kept that information INTENTIONALLY crisp and short. My own experience is that in an emergency situation, we humans often panic, and only remember bits and pieces of relevant info.
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I am no different from you. When one of The Terriers is injured, or acutely sick, I can hear my brain flushing like a toilet. That’s when I Phone A Friend….
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Here I am - your Friend on a Phone!! Ain’t social media neat?
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First, please remember that most people UNDERESTIMATE the negative effects of heat on their dogs. Walking around on a hot summer day, I see many dogs showing clear signs of heat stress:
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Panting, tongue out, flaccid/flabby - early stage overheating
Panting, tongue out, flattening at the end - closer to danger zone
Panting, tongue out, flat end, edges curling - DANGER OF HEAT STROKE IMMINENT!
Watery, squinty eyes
Can drink, but not much
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Dogs do not sweat, so while giving them water is of course necessary, it is just not going to cool them the same way it cools a human. The few sweat glands on their feet are not relevant at this point.
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Drinking ice cold water isn’t great for their system - it ain’t great for yours either, boss.
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Dogs get rid of excess heat by panting - that is their ONLY METHOD OF COOLING! This means that brachycephalic breeds - smoosh-faced babies like Pugs and Bulldogs - have their air conditioners permanently disabled.
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Dogs have been bred by humans to fulfill many different needs and niches. A Chihuahua is going to be much more heat tolerant, generally, than a Siberian Husky. The thick undercoat of Arctic and mountain breeds of dog insulates them for extreme low temperatures, and makes them much less tolerant of high temperatures.
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Heat Stress progresses to Heat Exhaustion or Heat Stroke when the dog is:
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Panting uncontrollably, cannot stop to drink much if at all
Staggering, wobbly
Trembling - can progress to seizures
Limp, trouble standing, prefers to lay down
Vomiting
Passing watery stools, diarrhea
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This is when Emergency Measures should be taken!!
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Immerse your dog in an ice bath, if that’s available to you quickly - like a cooler full of drinks at a party. Dump the beverages and immerse your dog.
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This will not cause organ failure. When a dog goes into multi-system organ failure after being cooled from Heat Stroke, the damage was done by the heat, not the cooling.
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Be aware, when I say immerse your dog in an ice bath, I don’t mean for you to leave them there for half an hour!! Dunk them, soak their fur to the skin, then take them out of the water and into A/C or a fan.
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This could be when you put your dog in an air conditioned vehicle, and transport to an emergency veterinary facility for medical care.
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Another thing I do not mean: do not spend precious time setting up an ice bath for your overheating dog. Use what is available to you: a cold hose, pool, stream, lake, bottles of cold drinks (even if they aren’t water, just get the darn dog wet!).
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While you are soaking your dog to the skin, someone else is starting up the vehicle and cranking the A/C. A third person could be calling area animal ER’s to find out who can provide emergent medical attention the quickest.
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The best way to prevent permanent damage from heat stroke is to avoid heat stressing your dog in the first place. Pay attention to the weather, remembering that any dog is LESS heat tolerant than most humans.
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Humans drink water to support sweating, which evaporates from your skin, and cools you down. Your dog does not sweat! Manually wet them down with a hose or body of water to promote evaporative cooling. Soak them to the skin, or it won’t help much.
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Stopping activity to give them water is helpful, but will NOT be sufficient in hotter temperatures. As a rough guide, let’s say anything over 80 degrees Fahrenheit (25 Celsius) is definite cause for concern. I know many dogs who struggle when temperatures rise over 60F (15C).
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I hope this clears things up.
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For more pro tips, thoughtfully considered information, and a community of awesome proactive pet parents, come join my FB group: Happy Hairy Holistic Pets with Dr. Heather