How to tell if your dog has heat stroke, and how to save them
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What should I know? Heavy panting is just the start. Learn the signs of possible heat stroke,
What should I share with family and friends? A home remedy is no substitute for vet care.
Even the most diligent pet owners can find themselves in a scary situation involving the heat and their dog.
The News & Observer spoke to Mariea Ross-Estrada, an assistant clinical professor of small animal primary care at N.C. State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, about the signs of heat stroke in dogs and what to do if your dog collapses.
What are the symptoms of heat stroke in dogs?
Dogs don’t sweat in the same way as people.
They regulate their heat through panting and through their paw pads and nose.
You need to pay attention if your dog starts panting more than normal.
“It’s excessive panting,” Ross-Estrada said. “So not just what we think of as like a gentle pant, but they’re really struggling to breathe.”
Other heat stroke signs and symptoms include:
Gums and tongue going from pink to red
Difficulty breathing, which may include a raspy tone in their breath
You can’t count their pants
The pet’s heart is racing
Excessive drooling
They stagger or collapse
How can you treat heat stroke?
Get your dog inside and in a cool spot and try to give them cool water to drink or cover them with a wet towel, Ross-Estrada said.
“The last thing we want to do if they’re really hot is dump an ice bucket of water on them,” she said. “But we want to see if we can potentially start to cool them down a little bit and get them to the vet clinic.”
It is always safer to bring in an animal to a veterinarian to be assessed, Ross-Estrada said.
“It’s much worse if we let these clinical signs continue at home, and then you bring them in,” she said. “It’s going to be a lot harder for them to get well because there’s going to be a lot more damage to their internal organs.”
A viral Facebook post urging people wrap a dog’s feet with a wet towel might provide a little relief, but it’s not going fix the dog, Ross-Estrada said.
“A home remedy is not going to be a substitute for veterinary care,” she said.
If your dog collapses and you can’t carry it, you may need to seek help from a neighbor or use a blanket or beach towel to pull them to a shady spot.
Is it too hot to walk my dog? How to keep your pets safe in the heat.
What does heat stroke do to an animal?
Heat stroke begins damaging the dog’s brain, heart and other organs, and affects the proteins in the body, Ross-Estrada said.
“As these proteins kind of fall off and unravel, that can cause a lot changes in the body, which can lead to spontaneous bleeding and random blood clots forming places,” she said.
Heat stroke can also cause seizures, vomiting, diarrhea and massive organ failure.
“Everybody’s body has a temperature that it likes to work at and if you’re a little too hot or a little too cold, it’s going to start to malfunction and not work the way it should,” Ross-Estrada said.
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