Care for our Pets in the Heat.

About Heat Stroke

Heat Stroke occurs when your pet's body cannot dissipate excess heat as fast as is required to maintain a normal body temperature. This can occur because your pet is generating excessive heat due to exercise or anxiety or is exposed to high temperatures in their environment, or a combination of both.  

​Cats and dogs are susceptible to heatstroke because they can only regulate their body temperature through panting or sweating from their foot pads. A pet that is left in a poorly ventilated area, unable to avoid direct sunlight, or without access to water, such as in a car or shed can quickly succumb to heatstroke.
Very often we may not be aware of the fact that a pet has become overheated until symptoms suddenly develop. For example dogs are always very eager to please their human and will often continue playing or exercising until their bodies cannot take anymore.  Heat stroke in our pets is a very serious condition and its onset can be sudden, escalating into an emergency situation in a matter of minutes. Knowing how to treat a pet experiencing heat stroke may be vital to saving your their life.

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Recognizing Heat Stroke Symptoms

• Elevated body temperatures and rectal temperature
• Open mouthed breathing, heavy panting and rasping breath
• Salivation, the saliva can be thicker than usual.
• Frequent vomiting
• An anxious expression or a staring appearance
• bright red gums or in severe cases dark red or blue gums
• Unsteady walk, collapsing, not wanting to move forward, tumbling over

What to do on a hot day with your pets.

• Keep your pet inside
• Make sure your pet has a shaded or cool area to escape to
• Use your air conditioning or fans to increase air circulation
• Spray small animals with a spray bottle set at fine mist
• For guinea pigs and rabbits put their cage in a shaded cool area, but also make sure there is air circulating. 
• Provide your dog with a paddling pool.
• Repeatedly wet your dog with a hose or with kitchen cloth and cat with water squeezed from a kitchen cloth.
• Add ice cubes to the drinking water
• Excercise during the cooler parts of the day. Early am and late afternoon.

What Heat Stroke can do to your Pet

• Brain damage in severe cases maybe permanent
• Kidney damage or failure
• Swelling of the upper airways
• Ulceration of the stomach and intestines
• lung damage
• Liver damage or failure
• Bleeding disorders
• organ failure if the body temp raises above 43 degrees
• muscle damage can be severe if heat stroke is related to excercise or seizures
• Final but by far the worst: DEATH

Excessive anxiety may also contribute to susceptibility of Heat Stroke

Useful tips

• Before walking your dog, make sure to check the pavement with the “5-second rule.” Place the back of your hand on the pavement. If you cannot hold it for five seconds, it’s too hot to walk your dog.
• Place rubbing alcohol on the pads of the dog’s paws if suffering from heat stroke. Dogs release heat from the pads of their feet, so putting rubbing alcohol on the pads can help draw some of the heat out. Be sure that the feet are uncovered and exposed to cool air.​ Do not use too much alcohol, as it can be harmful if ingested.
• It is highly recommended that all owners of small animals purchase a thermometer that records the maximum and minimum temperatures. Place this in the main living / sleeping area (make sure its up high safely away from inquisitive teeth!) and check it throughout the day.