My friend Rica sent me a link to a about heatstroke in dogs. Heatstroke can occur when you are outside in the sun for too long and don’t drink enough water. It’s a very scary condition for both animals and because symptoms can develop rapidly and without warning.
According to , these signs could mean your dog is suffering from heatstroke:
- Excessive panting;
- Pale gums, bright red tongue;
- Disorientation and your dog doesn’t respond to his name;
- Increased heart rate;
- Thick saliva;
- Vomiting;
- Breathing difficulties;
- Collapse
(I left out the last two signs on DogTopics’ list, coma and death, because duh!)
More importantly, here’s what you should do if your dog is showing signs of heatstroke:
- Move your dog to the shade, or better yet, indoors
- Hose him down with cool water (not cold, because it can cause shock); place a fan near him so the water evaporates faster
- Apply ice packs under his legs and around his neck
- Gently transport him to the veterinarian
On hot, hazy days, let your dogs play in the shade.
Lola, our Boxer-Pit-Lab-Chow mix, is not a big water drinker. She doesn’t run to the water bowl when we get home from a walk the way Sammy Sanchez does. But I’ve noticed that she nudges my hand when I’m carrying a water bottle and will drink from it once or twice during our long walks. So, I highly recommend you carry bottled water with you when you’re taking your dogs out. I also like to use take-out soup containers to freeze filtered water for the dogs. I pop the ice from the plastic tub and place it into Lola and Sam’s water bowl in the mornings. The frozen tubs are handy on road trips, too. The dogs lick the ice and have cold water right out of the plastic tub.
