Care In the Heat

This is a post that i have copied and pasted from a Facebook page. Such an honest and sad post from a lady whose intention is that other people learn from her experience. The message speaks for itself. Please take care everyone. 

*Important For All Dog Owners*
Since yesterday was such a glorious day, with the heat tipping at 30 degrees at one point, my mother and I decided we would take our two dogs out for a walk: our Staff, Capone, and our French Bulldog, Henry. We took them on our usual walk in the evening when it had cooled down a bit, along with a bottle of water for them both to drink when they needed it. About halfway through our walk, Henry started panting, like he usually does anyway because of his breed, but it got progressively worse. After having large drinks from his water, the panting only got worse, to the point were his chest was rattling, and he was plonking himself down in any shade he could find, refusing to move. After realising something was seriously wrong, we phoned for a family member to come and pick the four of us up to take us home. By now, Henry was exhausted, barely moving as he panted horrendously, trying to cool down. When we got back home, he had to be carried out in the garden where we sprayed him with the hose and placed cold, wet towels on him. Still, he didn't move at all, his eyes unfocused as his shallow breathing continued. When he started crying out, we decided he needed to be seen by a vet as soon as. We took him to a 'animal hospital' as the vets had long been closed by now, all the while Henry was unresponsive, forming a large puddle of saliva/sweat all over my arm, leg, and the backseat as I cradled his head. At the hospital, the nurses quickly checked him over, establishing that he had a high temperature of 40 degrees and confirming that Henry was suffering from heatstroke. He was promptly whisked away to be put on a drip in a cool room, crying as the nurse took him away. That was the last time I saw Henry.

After not doing well over night, suffering a couple of seizures, the nurse phoned us at around 5 this morning to say that he wasn't going to make it and that it would be best to put him to sleep. They gave us time to talk it over, but when we phoned back twenty minutes later, the nurse informed us that Henry had just regurgitated a lot of blood and that he was only still breathing due to a nurse giving him chest compressions. She said an injection wouldn't be needed now, as once they stop giving him chest compressions, he'll pass on his own. We said okay.

In a matter of hours, I had lost my dopey, lovable little Henry.

The reason I have decided to share this, gruesome details included, is to not only convey how distraught I am, but to warn everyone who has a dog. This is how horrible hot weather can affect your dogs; the nurse at the hospital told us that along with Henry, three other dogs have also passed away due to heatstroke, and many other dogs are currently being treated for it. All in one day. So, if another extremely hot day decides to grace us, please keep an extra eye on your dogs, especially if they are a bulldog breed, carry a little extra weight, and have breathing troubles. If you want to take them for a walk in the hot sun, try not to make it too long, or go somewhere where there is lots of shade and your dogs can rest in it. Make sure they drink plenty of water and don't get too overheated. This also goes out to people who think it won't do any harm to leave their dog in the car while they pop to the shops; it can get twice as hot inside the car than outside and a dog can pass out even quicker. If on a hot day you notice your dog's breathing is rapid and they refuse to move at all - basically becoming limp and unresponsive - phone your vets for advice and take action quick.

I can't bring Henry back - Capone has lost his little brother and is currently grieving, as the rest of us are - but this post can warn and potentially save other dogs, save other families from experiencing what we are.
​
**I'm so overwhelmed with the response I have gotten. I didn't even think this post would get over 2k shares. With this post gaining so many shares and spreading so much awareness, I just wanted to emphasis a few points. Before taking my dogs for a walk, we waited until the evening so it was much cooler than mid-day. We took a special doggy water bottle with an attachable bowl on it and even checked to see if the pavement was cool enough for Henry and Capone to walk on.... but even taking these precautions, it still didn't help Henry. It was just still slightly too hot for his breed type. So PLEASE be more cautious in hot weather, even if you think it's cooled down. Even if this post manages to save even a handful of dogs, I'll be so happy knowing Henry still helped, even if he's not with us anymore**