Heat Stroke in Dogs: Symptoms & Recovery

Ways To Protect Your Dog From Heat Stroke & Exhaustion It’s been a long time that you and your pet have restored enough of energy by staying in the cozy environment throughout winters. How good it may feel to wake with the rays of the sun and kick start your day with a bright sunny morning? Summer is the best time to be out and enjoy all that the season has to offer. However, as the temperature heats up, it is crucial to remember that dogs are vulnerable to illness and injuries caused due to scorching hot weather.

Excessive sun exposure can cause sunburn, footpad burns and heat stroke in dogs. As every pain has a cure, similarly considering heat stroke treatment is the key to cure and protect dogs from this dangerous misery.

This season is all about moving out of the house to experience summer chills, picnics, swimming, running or hikes with your pet. All you need to ensure is to keep your pup protected from overheating and heat stroke.

To be aware of the dangers, let’s know more about it.

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Physical Symptoms of Exhaustion & Heat Stroke in Dogs For us, sweating out excess body heat is the way to regulate our body temperature. Unlike humans, dogs don’t sweat out excess heat as few heat glands are located in their paws that do not contribute much to regulate their body temperature. Heat stroke in dogs is the gnarly disease that can cause seizures, brain damage, blindness, organ failure, and convulsions.

Heat exhaustion is the early stage of heat stroke that occurs when the dog’s normal mechanism cannot keep body temperature in the safe range. Dogs don’t sweat but they pant. Panting is a method of cooling by the means of evaporation of water from internal body surfaces used by dogs. They do this by open-mouthed rapid breathing.

Have heed on your dog when he’s excessively panting or indicates other signs of discomfort that causes overheating. According to the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation, the excess loss of body fluids leads to dehydration. A dehydrated dog can be observed with signs such as sunken eyes, dry mouth, gums, and nose.

What Causes Heatstroke in Dogs?

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Summers and hotness is an inseparable couple that goes for lunch by extracting energy from the earth residents. The scorching heat and warmer environment cause heatstroke in dogs. Moreover, the problem is serious for older and overweight dogs as they are more liable to develop heat exhaustion.

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There are many factors responsible for causing heatstroke in dogs but the commonest among them is the carelessness of pet-owners. This includes forgetting to provide enough water to the pet or leaving a dog in the car or taking him out unprotected in the fiery sun.

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Dogs with short noses, thick fur, suffering from medical conditions such as heart disease, obesity, and older age are more susceptible to the victim of heat stroke. Dogs are indefatigable creatures. They find joy in doing exercise or play around. But, when you notice your dog is antsy and trudging when you take him to the countryside, it’s time to take immediate care of your pooch.

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Treating Heat Stroke In Dogs ▪

An imperative step to solve a problem is to recognize that there exists one.

Therefore, the first step is to recognize the heat stroke symptoms in your dog. If you find any or many then immediately treat him by applying these tips.

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The moment you feel feverish and use a thermometer to check your body temperature, similarly checking the temperature is the best way to assess your dog’s internal temperature. Have a digital rectal thermometer and note down your dog’s body temperature in order to communicate it to a veterinarian.

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When you identify the heart stroke symptoms in your dog, immediately remove him from the heat and move him indoors or shaded areas outside.

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Give your pooch fresh drinking water. Ensure not to force him to drink water if he refuses to drink. You can wet his tongue with water. Prioritize to wet his extremities such as head, paws, and tail.

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You can also rub alcohol on the pads of your dog’s paws as it will help to draw a certain amount of heat out.

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Wiping your dog down with cool towels will help to soak the heat. You can place the dog on the floor tile and have a fan blown over him.

What Can A Pet-Parent Do To Prevent Heat Stroke Dangers?

The best cure is prevention. Hence, protecting your dog from dangers of summer is a way feasible and recommended than rushing your pet to vet to cure the heat stroke. The rundown of preventive measures for heart stroke is as follows.

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Keep your pup away from the conditions that cause heat stroke Do not let your dog linger on the hot surfaces like asphalt and cement.

Make sure that you never ever leave your dog in the hot car because no matter, if it isn’t hot outside the temperature, can soar inside the closed car.

Let water be bliss If your dog is out for a longer period on a very hot day then make sure to provide him adequate water to keep him hydrated. Allow your dog to access water over the swimming pool or provide him his own kiddy sized pool and be sure to supervise your pooch.

Say no to the trimmer Though it may sound contrary, giving your dog an intense haircut for the summer increases their body temperature. This happens when you completely shave your dog’s fur because they require at least a couple of inches of hairs to protect themselves from sunburn. Therefore, groom your dog as per the season.

Keep your house cool When it is hot as hell outside, make sure to keep your house cool where your Fido can have a chill pill. Close the drapes and leave the air conditioner on. If you don’t have AC, ensure to turn on the fans and open the windows.

Protect your pooch from parasites Letting your dog play out all day around in summer may not only increase the chances of heat stroke but your dog is also at a risk for heartworm and Lyme disease. The parasite such as fleas and ticks are ubiquitous which are the hosts of other dangerous diseases. For protecting your pooch from fleas & ticks, you can provide him the best available flea treatments, fleas collars. Also by deworming him, you can make sure he is free from worms.

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Monitor the weight Winter stays for a long and goes by giving your pooch some extra pounds.

Therefore, summer is a suitable season for your pet to exercise and get back into shape. Ensure that you engross your pet in doing physical activities daily to stay fit and fine in order to elude the dangers of heat stroke.

Dogs get sunburns too, especially the dogs with light color or thin coats.

Thus, you can use Petscreen SPF23 Sunscreen to protect your Fido from harmful UV rays and prevent skin diseases. Before the heat stroke takes the serious turn, make sure to immediately take your pooch to the veterinarian.

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