Heat stroke

The warm weather can often create those sticky days where you feel hot and uncomfortable. Our pooches can also feel this way too. Dogs cannot keep themselves cool like we can. They can’t sweat, instead they pant to help regulate their temperature. However, panting can only cool them down so much, therefore we must be careful we don’t put them in situations where they are unable to cool down effectively, such as hot cars. We have produced this post in consultation with CareVets and they mention that “heat stroke is not a nice thing to experience and can often be fatal:. They also say they “see far too many heat stroke cases every summer”.

To prevent your dog from suffering from heatstroke follow this advice from CareVets 

• Dogs in vehicles – don’t leave them in the car while you shop etc, it can take just 5-10mins before a car can become extremely dangerous or even fatal on a hot day.  Cracking the windows doesn’t help nearly as much as people think it does!

• If driving with your dog, ensure air is circulating in the car

• On hot days keep wet towels or cooling mats handy for your pet to lie on

• Ice cubes in their water bowl can also help

Know the signs of heat stroke:

• Excessive panting

• Restlessness

• Excessive drooling

• Unsteadiness

• Abnormal gum and tongue colour

• Collapse 

If you suspect your dog is suffering from heat stroke

• Move the animal into shade or an air conditioned area

• Offer the animal a small amount of lukewarm water to drink

• Spray or soak animal’s neck, abdomen and inner thighs in lukewarm water

• Use cool but not cold water (do not use ice as this causes blood vessels to constrict, limiting heat loss)

• And most importantly, take them to a vet immediately. Heat stroke is an emergency – always see a vet. Even if your dog looks like they may be recovering or you just suspect they might have heat stroke they should still always be checked by a vet.

Thank you to CareVets for assisting us with this post