If you suspect pet heat stroke:
1. Get your dog out of direct heat.
2. Check for shock. Signs include collapse, body temperature 104° F+, bloody diarrhea or vomit, depression stupor, seizures or coma, excessive panting or difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, and salivation.
3. Take your dog’s temperature.
4. Spray your dog with cool water then retake the temperature.
5. Place water-soaked towels on the dog’s head, neck feet, chest and abdomen, turn on a fan and point it in your dog’s direction, rub Isopropyl alcohol (70%) on the dog’s foot pads to help cool him but don’t use large quantities.
6. Take your dog to the nearest veterinary hospital.
During a heat crisis, the goal is always to decrease the dog’s body temperature to 103° F in the first 10-15 minutes. Once 103° F is reached, you must stop the cooling process because the body temperature will continue to decrease and can plummet dangerously low if you continue to cool the dog for too long.
Even if you successfully cool your pet down to 103° F in the first 10-15 minutes, you must take the dog to a veterinarian as soon as possible because the consequences of heat stroke will not show up for hours or even days. Potential problems include abnormal heart rhythms, kidney failure, neurological problems and respiratory arrest.
It is important to know if your pet is predisposed to dog heat stroke, which is true of dogs with short snouts such as bulldogs, pugs and many other breeds. Other common causes of heat stroke include a previous episode of heat stroke, leaving a dog in a parked car, excessive exercise in hot, humid weather (this may be an exercise that your dog can usually handle but not in warmer weather), lack of appropriate shelter outdoors, thicker-coated dogs in warm weather and underlying disease such as upper airway, the heart of lung disease.
Tips to Keep Your Pets Safe During Summer
Never leave your pet in the car
Don’t put your pet in the back of a truck
Watch out for fertilizers and deadly plants
Provide plenty of fresh water
Was our information helpful to you?
If you want to support our projects, you can contribute with a donation in the following ways:
● You can donate directly on our website here.
● Join ROLDA Global Parents network.
● Buy a virtual gift from our online shop.
● Become a Teamer and donate 1 EUR / month.
● You can fund an entire project.
● Include a gift to ROLDA in your will.
Terms & Conditions
The information, guidance and recommendations contained on website or printable materials (in brief, “info”) are based on ROLDA understanding of good practice for animal welfare emergency planning.
ROLDA uses all reasonable efforts to ensure that the info is accurate at the time it is published.However, ROLDA makes no guarantees as to the accuracy, completeness or reliability of the Information and does not commit to keeping the Information updated.
ROLDA excludes all liability of any kind whatsoever (including negligence) for loss, injury or damage (whether direct, indirect, or consequential, and whether foreseeable or not) suffered by any person or animal resulting in any way from the use of or reliance on the info.
The info is of a general nature only and is not intended to cover every emergency situation. In no way should the info be seen as a replacement for specialist advice. Please contact your vet for specific advice regarding your pet(s).