Every summer we read the stories. Dogs suffering heat stroke, or being rescued from cars so they won’t suffer heat stroke. C’mon, this is a total no-brainer right? We know that dogs and cats don’t have a very efficient cooling system because they have no sweat glands except a few in their feet. Mostly they pant. It’s only common sense that big coated animals, old pets, sick or fat dogs and cats and those with pushed in faces are particularly susceptible.
We all know dogs are susceptible to heat. They (and Kermit apparently) wear fur coats in the summer, fer Pete’s sake!
Yes, we all know that, so move along to something we don’t know Auntie Awesome, like what’s the name of the dog on the Cracker Jack Box (no, it’s not Cracker, it’s Bingo), or whether my dog obsessively sniffing me means I have cancer, because I read about this cancer sniffing dog and now I’m totally freaked.
Alrighty then clever Reader, answer me this.
If we all know about heat stroke in our pets (yes, cats can get it too), why are there so many incidents reported ever single freaking year, about dogs dying of heat stroke? Are there really that many cruel, negligent, stupid owners out there?
I’ve reviewed dozens and dozens of stories about heat stroke incidents with dogs. There are far fewer regarding cats, possibly because people don’t tend to take their cats jogging or even walking.
I do, but then they don’t call me Auntie Awesome for nothing.
As a result of these researches, not into the causes of heat stroke, but the circumstances where it comes to pass, I was left with the uncomfortable suspicion that people’s ignorance, indifference, negligence, cruelty and stupidity aren’t the only reasons that heat stroke happens to our pets. Maybe they’re not even responsible for the majority of cases.
We operate on the complacent assumption that since we love our dogs and cats and aren’t idiots, it could quite simply never happen to our pets. I’ve come to the chilling realisation that this complacency is not totally justified. Maybe it can happen to the pets of even intelligent, caring pet owners.
Here, for example, a person writes to Yahoo Answers:
“Our landscapers came to cut the backyard grass and we usually tie our dog up just until they finish with the back.I guess the landscapers left the fence open after doing our lawn which they never do. The landscapers took so long, my husband had to run some errands and left, forgetting to untie the dog. He also forgot to call me to let me know he never untied him and that he was still outside tied up. All along I thought our dog was loose and frolicking in the yard. I was in my son’s bedroom and heard the garage open about an hour after my husband left so I went to the kitchen which is where my back door is. I saw the back door wide open and the fence door wide open. I knew something was wrong because i didn’t see my husband or dog in the backyard and the fence was wide open.
A few seconds later my husband comes inside with our dog lifeless in his arms asking what happened to our dog.
Our first thought was he had got hit by a car cause the fence was open and that never happens. It turns out my dog was suffering in the heat for so long and managed to get loose from his rope. He had wondered off looking to a cool spot to get shade. But by the time he got loose from the rope it was already too late and he had collapsed and was in a coma like state. We thought maybe he had been hit by a car since he was untied wondering around in the alley. My husband and I rushed him to the animal hospital which is just 4 minutes down the road. The Vet said once we gave them a $500 deposit they would start to try and save his life and revive him. My husband didn’t even hesitate and gave them the deposit. They came in just a few minutes later and tell us he had a heat stroke, they said they would start an IV. About 10 minutes later they let us know he didn’t make it . They told us we could see him and when we went back there he was laying there lifeless.
I have two dilemmas here. First is that I feel so inconsolably sad that my baby is gone. It tears my heart into shreds knowing he had to die that horrible death. And later finding out I was just a few feet away from him while he was suffering from the worst death anyone could suffer and just didn’t know. I would have let him in the house and gave him plenty water. I have been an animal lover my whole life, I wanted to be a Vet when I was a kid, that was what I wanted to do, save animals. I feel like I lost a child and I cant stop crying. I am so Depressed and i just want him to know how sorry I am and that I never meant for this to happen.”
Here’s another from Yahoo:
“Our Alaskan Malamute suffered from heat stroke last year. She had been out in the dog run and some smart a** decided to turn our water meter off that supplied the farm animals their water (including the dogs water). It was a very hot day as it was mid summer in Australia and I was only due to do my animal feeding rounds at midday. When I got to her she was on the ground and could barely walk as her back legs had already gone into muscle melt down, she was extremely hot and had to be rushed to the vet. It took the vet 2hrs to cool her down to normal temperature. She was in hospital for 5 days on a constant drip and her back legs were never going to be the same again, we now have to massage them daily. She is now susceptible to any change in the weather and we have to monitor her. The vet bill was another reason why you don’t want this happening to your dog as it cost over $1500 for them to save her life.”
She seems quite confident that the only problem was the lack of water. This is a heavy coated dog, outside, in the heat of an Australian summer.
This person seems unaware that giving water is no guarantee against heat stroke.
One lady tearfully recounted taking her Lab to the park. They did minimal activity, and they stayed in the shade. She brought water, and he drank lots. Thirty minutes after arriving at the park, the dog had a seizure and went into shock. He was rushed to the nearest vet’s with the help of an off-duty police office, but died in her arms just a minute after getting there.
I myself knew a woman who was devastated by the death of her two dogs from heatstroke. They were outside with the dogs and company arrived with very small children. They stuffed the dogs into the car with the windows down, and the garage door open. They intended on leaving them there for just a few minutes while they got the company organised. Certain events occurred and they completely forgot the dogs.
A couple of years ago, where I lived, a dog was rescued from a parked car in summer heat. The owner had run into the store, expecting to be no more than two minutes. He had a heart attack and passed out. No one knew he had left his dog in the car.
I know, I know. You and I could never, ever in any possible universe be so negligent, so stupid, so forgetful. But I’m thinking that all of the people in these stories would have said the same thing before tragedy struck.
Have any of us ever given in to our dog’s pleading to be allowed to come in the car, even though it’s a hot day?
Okay. I confess. I have.
I left the car running with the air conditioning on, I could see the car from the store window, and I was just buying a quart of milk. After reading the story about the man having the heart attack, I never did it again. Even while I was doing it, I was worried that the car would stall out.
Human error, accidents; these are by they very definition unexpected and even unforeseeable. So perhaps we all need to pledge never, never to take any chance when it comes to heat and our beloved pets.
Causes and Prevention: Heat for the former and cool for the latter, duh.
But bear in mind that what we might think is an okay temperature, may still be too much for certain animals. “But L-lots of animals live outside,” you say, “so it must be fine for my dog or cat to be outside as long as they can find shade.” In hot climates a pet outside, even in the shade, can suffer heat stroke. One lady who is a professional cat breeder told the story of finding one of her cats outdoors, under a shady bush, panting and drooling and showing every sign of the onset of heat stroke.
For certain high risk pets, any hot day may be too hot to venture outside for longer than it takes to do their bathroom business.
This headline: “Tragic Dog Suffering Heatstroke Vomited Blood and Died After 10 Minute Walk on Hottest Day of the Year”. references the ‘hottest day of the year”. But it was ‘only’ 30 C (86 F). The owners of this French Bulldog say they waited until the evening when the temperatures were cooler, brought water with them and even checked the pavement with their hands. Said the sixteen year old family member who was walking the dog with her mother “It all happened so quickly we couldn’t really grasp it.” After about ten minutes walking, the dog was struggling, panting so hard his chest was rattling and refusing to move. The women called for someone to rush and pick them up, then did all the recommended things – wet towels and cool water to lower his body temperature and taking him to the vet when he deteriorated. There, he had seizures and was eventually put down.
If you walk your dog in the heat, avoid the hot sand of the beach and the hot concrete of sidewalks.
Personally I shudder when I see joggers running in those kinds of temperatures, with a dog attached to a leash running along beside them.
If your house is not air-conditioned, keep the windows open if at all possible. If it’s a hot, humid day, and you can’t open the windows because it’s raining (my least favourite kind of weather), set up fans.
If you don’t have a fan, then freeze water in a pop bottle, wrap in a towel and leave it in your dog’s or cat’s bed. Or put ice in a baggy, place that in a sock and put that next to them.
There are a whole range of cooling coats for dogs:
Scale back exercise. Remember, when that big doofus comes galloping up with the toy in his mouth, begging you to throw it on a hot day, that you are the adult in the relationship, and sometimes, as my dear old mother used to say, you have to be cruel to be kind. I personally find this extraordinarily difficult – see above, where I gave in to the plea to come in the car.
Monitor your pet for signs of distress from the heat, especially if they are in a higher risk category. Black coats do attract more heat. Dogs and cats who have suffered from heat stroke once, are at higher risk of getting it again. As mentioned above, keep a sharp eye on overweight animals, older animals, those with respiratory problems.
Signs of Heat Stroke: Excessive panting, drooling or thick or sticky saliva, foaming at the mouth. Bright red tongue. A fixed, glassy-eyed stare. Weakness, fainting, flat or depressed aspect. Diarrhea, vomiting (sometimes with blood).
What to Do: Remove the dog or cat from the hot environment. Get to air conditioning if you can. If not, at least find shade and a breeze. Cool your pet down with cool – not cold – water. A bathtub or shower is perfect. .
Bath toys can be skipped, just this once.
Use cool wet cloths if you can’t get to a tub or shower. Don’t use a hose directly, unless there is no other choice. The hose water quickly become shockingly cold. It’s better to use the hose to wet a cloth.
If the animal is unconscious, be very sure not to get water in the nose or mouth. If the animal is conscious, offer water. Put in a little salt if you can, to aid the replacement of minerals lost through panting.
Apply a cold pack to the head or between the legs. Frozen vegetables will do if you don’t have a cold pack in your freezer.
Massage the legs to help circulation and reduce the risk of shock.
Normal body temperature for dogs and cats is between 38 C (101 F) and 39 C (102.5 F). If your dog or cat shows other signs of heat stroke, and you have a thermometer, check their temperature every five minutes until it drops below 39.4 C (103 F).
If the dog’s or cat’s temperature is above 40.5 C (105 F) it is life threatening situation. Grab the frozen peas, get your pet into the car and get to the vet as fast as you can.
Also take your pet to the vet if the cooling treatments do not appear to be having an effect, or if the symptoms get worse; for example the cat or dog drops into a coma or goes into shock. (The signs of shock are rapid pulse, shallow breathing, and a cooling body.) The gums will be bright red initially but will turn pale or blue as the shock worsens.
Hopefully your trip to the vet will be in an air-conditioned vehicle, but if you don’t have air conditioning, at least open the windows.
Personally, I think you should take your pet to the vet at the first opportunity, even if the symptoms pass. Moderate heat stroke may quite possibly not leave lasting damage. But heat stroke can cause kidney failure, heart problems and other lasting effects. At the very least your dog or cat may well require IV fluids to re-hydrate, and possibly oxygen.
Be vigilant. Err on the side of caution. And next time you see or read a story about a pet dying of heat stroke, maybe withhold judgement just a little bit.