Heat Stroke: Would You Recognize It? (Prevention & Treatment)

You've probably heard not to leave your dog in the car, and even heard of the many stories of owners who have done that and had their dogs die.  Sometimes, the dogs are rescued in time.  You should never leave your dog in the car, even if you leave the windows down or leave the car running with the A/C on, or you're parked in the shade.    There have been several reports of citizens or police rescuing dogs left in hot cars, and these dogs survived, but many don't.
Pensacola Florida, July 1, 2016
Wrentham, Massachusetts, June 27, 2016
Merriam, Kansas, July 11, 2016

If you can't take your dogs with you into every store or place you plan to visit, then leave your dog at home!

In addition to being careful about not leaving your dog in a car, there are other dangers to dogs related to heat.

Some areas are very humid, particularly in the southeast and mid-atlantic regions of the US.  Humidity affects pets just like it does humans, and can lead to heat stroke.  When dogs pant, it helps to remove moisture from their lungs to help take heat away from their body.  When humidity is too high, dogs aren't able to effectively remove the moisture and heat.

Exercise is very important, but on hot/humid days, limit or reduce the amount of exercise and also try to limit it to the early morning or late evening hours, when it is cooler.  Not only will both you and Rover enjoy your walk or game much more, but it will help reduce the chances of your dog overheating.  If you walk on pavement, be aware that if it's too hot for you to put the back of your hand on the pavement for seven full seconds, it's too hot for your dog to walk on.

Fans can help, but they aren't ideal because a dog sweats through his feet!  While the breeze will feel good to your dog, it may not actually cool him off much.  That being said, when we are outside I do have an outdoor fan running and my dogs do like to lay in front of it - often with their feet towards it.  There's nothing wrong with using a fan, but don't count on it to be enough to keep your dog cool by itself.

When your dogs are outside, make sure they have water and shade.  If possible, think about putting ice cubes in their water.  I like to use cubes made from frozen broth as well, because the flavor helps encourage my dogs to drink more.  Shade from tarps, trees, awnings, or open air tents are the best because they allow air flow.  Dog houses actually trap the heat and won't do anything to cool your dog.   Water loving dogs may love to run through a sprinkler (you can make a soft one using a pool noodle!) or in a plastic wading pool filled with cool water.

mesh sun shade

open air flow tent

basset in plastic pool

dog cooling off in pool

frozen kong

Give cool treats such as broth ice cubes in their water, or freeze mashed bananas and peanut butter in their kong.  You can try plain greek yogurt, peanut butter, and a fruit like blueberries, bananas, apples, etc frozen in a kong as well.  You can also freeze green beans and carrots and give them as a low calorie cold treat.  Frosty Paws are a nice cold treat, too.   I also help my puppes keep cool by making puppy popsicles, and I also freeze the 3 Ingredient Canine Cookies and give them to my pups frozen - they stay soft even when frozen!

puppy popsicles 

3 ingredient canine cookies

Have a plan for power outages because they do happen and sometimes it's more than for just a couple of hours.  It's just important to make sure your dog stays comfortable as it is for you.  Your plans may include having a list of pet-friendly hotel/motels outside of your immediate area (maybe the next town over), a list of friends or relatives in various nearby areas that would be willing to let you and your pet stay with them, at least two dog boarders in different nearby areas (within maybe 15 miles or so) where you would be comfortable leaving your pet as long as the boarder has power (and have your dog registered with them and preferably stay in a non-emergent situation so you will know you your dog does with boarding).  Also, consider contacting your vet when you lose power - they may have power (and likely a backup generator) and be able to board your dog.

Know the signs of canine heat stroke. I wasn't aware of all of these before writing this blog.
Signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke are:

• heavy/excessive panting
• glazed eyes
• difficulty breathing
• excessive thirst
• lethargy
• fever (over 103 degrees)
• excessive drooling
• dizziness
• lack of coordination or falling
• dark red or purple tongue
• seizure
• vomiting, including vomiting blood
• paid heart rate
• irregular heartbeat
• unconciousness
• less urine than usual or not urinating

If you think your dog is suffering from heat stroke, move your dog into the shade or if possible, and air conditioned area.  Apply ice packs or cold/frozen towels to her body, and let her drink small amounts of water or lick ice cubes.  My beagle easily overheats and most of the time, doesn't want to drink water.  I use a small syringe from the local pharmacy to squirt a little bit of water in his mouth to help him cool down and hydrate. Run cool (but not cold) water over his body. Call your vet right away if you suspect heat stroke, as your dog may need urgent medical attention including IV fluids!

Some breeds are more susceptible to heat stroke, including those with very heavy coats such as alaskan malamute, husky, sheepdog, irish wolfhound, samoyed, st. benard, newfie, and akitas.  Also,  dogs with pushed in faces such as pug, bulldog (french and english), boston terrier, boxer, chow chow, pekingeses are at an increased risk of heat stroke.  Any overweight or obese dog of almost any breed is also at an increased risk.

Sources:
Humane Society
ASPCA
PetMD
iHeartDogs