Heat Stroke in Dogs

This is a very timely subject in that we lost a patient to heat stroke on Thursday. And the temperatures have gone up since then! Dogs have sweat glands only on their paws, so their only means of effectively cooling themselves off is with evaporative cooling from their lungs as they pant. If the relative humidity is high they lose the evaporation portion and rely only on heat dissipation from their lungs and extremities. On hot, humid days dogs can overheat very quickly. Other risk factors include geriatric or other disease changes that may decrease the efficiency of the lungs and the relatively smaller airways of brachicephalic (smush-nosed) breeds like Boxers or Boston Terriers. Our patient Thursday was an 11-year-old Boston Terrier, and the heat index was 105 degrees.

If your dog is overheating, immediately wet him with cold water. Then get him to the nearest veterinary hospital. Once the body temperature climbs above a certain point it will continue to climb and can quickly result in permanent organ failure or death. Don't take any chances with this emergency situation if you think your dog is overheating. Please! It is much better to prevent heat stroke in the first place. Limit your dog's activity during hot, humid periods. If your dog wants to go out repeatedly on these days be sure she has cooled sufficiently indoors before going out again. Don't ever leave your pet unattended in a car for ANY length of time.

Heat stroke is a terrible but preventable situation. Let's work to prevent more cases.