Heatstroke in Dogs

It's summer time! That means hot weather! Which is great, right? Not necessarily for your best friend. Did you know that dogs don't sweat the same way that people do? Which makes it a lot easier for dogs to have heatstroke's.

The signs:

- Rapid panting

- Bright red tongue

- Red or pale gums

- Thick, sticky saliva

- Depression

- Weakness

- Dizziness

- Vomiting with or without blood

- Diarrhea

- Shock

- Coma

So what can you do to prevent your BFF from a heatstroke?

1) Remove dog from the source of the heat and get them into either shade or air conditioning

2) Cool the dog with cool water (not iced water), spray with hose, or submerge in pool or bathtub if safe to do so, you can drape wet towels on your pup and/or use a fan

3) Check their temperature (rectally) every 10-15minutes. Be sure to stop cooling if their temperature drops below 103F

4) Offer them water, but don't force them to drink if they don't want to

5) Get your dog to the vet as soon as possible - even if everything seems ok

Tips:

- Exercise your dog early in the morning or in the late evening

- Provide fresh water daily

- Provide ice cubes as treats - or use chicken/beef broth in an ice cube tray 

- Check the temperature of the ground - if it's too hot for you to touch it's going to be too hot for your pups paws

- Allow your dog some shade, keep in mind the movement of the sun as the day passes

NEVER: Walk your dog when it's 85F or hotter - their paws will burn on the hot pavement/sand

NEVER: Leave your dog in a parked car, even on a cool day, it's much hotter in the car than outside and the heat could lead to brain damage or even death

If any of you are on pinterest then you have probably seen this too! Put all of your dogs favorite toys in a bucket with water and freeze, add chicken broth for extra flavor. What a great idea and it keeps your dog cool!

If you can, provide a pool for your dog, that way if they get too hot they can play in the water and it will help keep them cool.

Hopefully these signs, tips and tricks will help in case anyone encounters a heatstroke with a dog - fingers crossed that doesn't happen but at least you may be a little bit more prepared for it.

Stay cool everyone!

Taryn & Zoey

Carol & Charlee