14/07/2024
Watch the heat for your animals! They can overheat quickly just like we can.
Working in ER this past week: We had four heat injuries each day for two days straight. Four of these were French Bulldogs, which happens to be the most common US breed these days. The others were three Rottweilers (brachycephalic by exam) and one Pit X.
Only ONE survived. NOT a Frenchie. Not a brachycepahlix breed. The Pit X.
Why? He happened to be playing in a pond. He ran and played with kids on land and then in the shallow pond water in 95 F 85% humidity weather until he collapsed. The humidity at his breathing level was probably a lot more, since it was approx 12 inches above water level.
They recognized a problem and brought him in… from one hour away.
On arrival
he was HYPOTHERMIC. Low body temp. Typical of heat injury. We warmed him up, treated his other abnormalities and within a
few hours he waa normal. Like NORMAL. No kidney failure. No coagulopahty. NO PROBLEMS.
Why is this? Probably because this dog reached critical heat injury when he happened to be in the best environement for treatment… IMMEDIATE cooling in water that was colder than him.
RAPID cooling with the coldest source available is what saves dogs with heat injury.
It’s time ro let go of the old wive’s tales of how ice water causes vasoconstriction or that rapid cooling is bad. HEAT is what causes death in heat inrjury, not the coolong method.
