Heat Stroke in Dogs - Symptoms and Treatment

Heat stroke is a serious condition where the dog is not able to dissipate heat quickly enough and its body temperature rises to dangerous levels that can damage multiple organs and even cause the dog's death. This disorder is not the same as fever. In fever, the temperature rises as the body's response to injury and infection. On the other hand, in heat stroke, the increase in temperature is due to the fact that the dog cannot eliminate the heat generated by its own body or that it receives from the environment.

Since it is a serious condition, heatstroke must be treated immediately to prevent major damage and death to the dog. Unfortunately, most of the time the symptoms are not recognized until it is too late. That is why it is important to recognize the symptoms of heat shock, but it is even more important to recognize the causes and know how to avoid this risk to the health of our dogs.

We will give you the keys to detect the symptoms of heatstroke in dogs as well as the treatment or first aid that we should offer.

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Causes and risk factors

Dogs are susceptible to heat stroke because they do not have a very efficient system for regulating their temperature. They cannot remove heat through perspiration and their main mechanism of heat regulation is gas exchange through respiration. This is why they gasp when they do intense physical activity.

The dogs that are most at risk of suffering from this disorder are:

• Those who are restricted to very hot environments without the possibility of sheltering from high temperatures (locked in cars, locked in areas exposed to the sun and with asphalt or concrete floors, locked in rooms without adequate ventilation, etc.).
• Dogs that live in very hot and humid places.
• Dogs that are acclimatizing to high temperatures.
• Those with heart or respiratory conditions that affect efficient breathing.
• Those who exercise excessively (hyperactive dogs, working dogs, etc.)
• Very young dogs and very old dogs.
• Dogs with a previous history of heat stroke.
• Long-haired breeds.
• Molossian breeds (boxer, bulldog, dogue de bordeaux...)
• Dark colored dogs.
• Obese dogs.
• Dogs subjected to intense stress (for example, subjected to physical abuse, fights, etc.).
• Dogs wearing muzzles in stressful situations (This can happen when the dog is at the groomer, when traveling in the car, or in any other situation that causes a lot of stress. This can also cause vomiting and the dog choking on its vomit.)

Symptoms of heat stroke in dogs

The symptoms that a dog suffers when it is suffering from heatstroke are the following, do not lose detail:

• elevated body temperature
• signs of anxiety
• Excessive and fluctuating panting
• excessive drooling
• foam at the mouth
• dry and sticky gums
• Labored or labored breathing
• Tachycardia
• Irregular heartbeat
• vomiting
• Diarrhea
• lack of muscle coordination
• tremors
• very red gums
• Small stains of blood on the skin

In advanced stages symptoms include:

• Apathy
• Weakness
• inability to move
• seizures
• unconsciousness

 

Impact

The consequences depend on the time that passes since the temperature rises, the first aid and the treatment that the dog receives. They can range from dehydration without major impact to the death of the animal. Consequences of heatstroke can include:

• loss of salts
• internal bleeding
• Liver failure
• Renal insufficiency
• Stroke
• multiple organ damage
• Eat
• Death

First aid and treatment

If you suspect that your dog is suffering from heatstroke, you should take it to the vet as soon as possible. Ideally, you contact the veterinarian at that moment, explain the situation and tell you how to proceed. However, if you can't get in touch with your vet, you need to lower your dog's body temperature gradually. For that you can use the following options:

• Immediately take your dog to a shady place where he can cool off.
• Soak him in cool water slowly, never ice cold as he could go into shock, using a hose, a sprinkler or submerging his body in a bathing suit or tub (do not submerge his head and take care not to get water through his nose or mouth).
• Check your dog's rectal temperature with a thermometer and stop chilling your dog when it reaches 39ºC. From that temperature your dog will be able to self-regulate his body heat and you do not want to cause hypothermia by continuing to cool your pet.

Please note that you should not submerge your dog in ice or ice water. The water to lower the temperature must be water from the sink or be at about 20ºC. Ice water causes vasoconstriction and that reduces heat dissipation. In addition, freezing water can also cause your dog to shiver, which will increase his body temperature instead of lowering it. During the journey to the veterinary clinic you can wet your dog with cold water using a spray.

It's important that the heat dissipates gradually, so don't try to bring it down immediately with ice dips or very drastic procedures. Very sudden changes in body temperature can cause problems in the internal organs.

Once at the veterinary clinic, the treatment will depend on the condition in which your dog is. There is no specific treatment for heat stroke, but it is common to regulate the temperature of the environment, apply serum and keep the dog hospitalized for some time. The prognosis may or may not be favorable, depending on the damage suffered by the dog.

 

How to prevent sunstroke in dogs

While it's good to recognize the symptoms of heat stroke, it's even better to know how to avoid this veterinary emergency. For that, take into account the following tips :

• Don't confine your dog in very hot environments, such as a car on a sunny or hot day, a sunny room with little shelter, a garage, a deck with no shade, a patio with an asphalt or concrete floor, etc.
• If you live in a very hot place, prevent your dog from exercising in very hot hours and avoid walks at noon.
• When your dog exercises intensely or plays intensely, make sure you force him to have rest periods. Most dogs can play or run until they suffer heat shock.
• Provide a shady spot.
• If your dog is desperately trying to escape from a stressful situation and is exerting a lot of physical effort to do so, immediately take him to a place where such a situation does not occur and reassure him.
• Try good food and good care.
• Make available plenty of clean, fresh water at all times, especially if you are in a hot place.

Of course, these tips are most important for dogs that live in hot, humid places, for dogs with brachycephalics (flat face and flat nose), and for very young and very old dogs. However, they are valid for all dogs.

Please, take special care never to leave your dog locked in the car. The interior of a car heats up very quickly, and it can take just a few minutes for your best friend to suffer fatal heatstroke.