19/05/2022
DO YOU KNOW HOW TO RECOGNIZE HEAT STROKE IN YOUR DOG AND HOW TO HELP HIM?
Summer, sun, heat: our dogs suffer especially because they can neither take off their fur nor sweat sufficiently. Every summer we also read reports that dogs had to be rescued from overheated cars. Therefore, we would like to give you some tips on how to best protect your four-legged friend from the heat.
The most common cause of heat stroke is that the dog was left in the overheated car. Parking in the shade and opening the windows or sunroof is not enough in the summer: the sun moves and within ten minutes the temperatures in the car rise to 50°C and more.
So:
👉Never leave your dog unattended in the car or leashed in the blazing sun in summer.
👉Make sure that the dog always has the possibility to retreat to a cool place.
👉Always carry enough water for your dog.
In the heat, dogs drink up to 100 ml per kg of body weight per day. So a 10 kg dog would need a liter a day.
A lot of water is missed when drinking from the bowl, so better to take a little more ...
👉Take longer walks in the cool morning or evening hours. Overweight dogs or heart patients should be walked only short but more often.
👉Avoid physical exertion and do not force your dog to continue walking when he "goes limp". Give him the opportunity to rest in the shade.
👉Do not restrict your dog from panting, e.g. by using a tight muzzle.
How do you recognize heat stroke in a dog?
The first clinical symptoms of overheating are as follows:
👉persistent, heavy panting
👉possibly increased salivation
👉the inside of the ears are very red and hot
👉often the neck is elongated and the tongue hangs out wide
👉restlessness, nervousness up to panic
First aid
👉Immediately move the dog to a cool, shaded area.
👉Immediately begin to cool the dog down.
Be careful when doing this. Fresh or running water (garden hose or water from buckets) is suitable for cooling the dog. Important: Do not use ice-cold water! This would cause constriction of the skin's blood vessels, put additional strain on the circulation and even reduce the heat release.
Start cooling at the paws and limbs and then slowly move on to the body (lower abdomen, lumbar area) and then to the neck area.
Also good are wet, cool towels with which you cover the dog. The important thing here is: heat can also develop under the towels again, they must be changed frequently.
👉If the dog is conscious, give it hand-warm water to drink. However, never try to give water to an unconscious animal or an animal with severely impaired consciousness. The dog must drink on its own.
👉Take the animal to a veterinarian as soon as possible! Make sure that the veterinary practice is open. Don't lose time.
