Hope everyone is having a great weekend - I hope this is ok to post ( from a local vet nurse)
It is going to be extremely hot over the next few days my advice is not to walk your dogs š¶ in this heat at any time.
Keep cats in cool place and make sure that all garages and shed are clear before locking up at night.
Small furriers make sure they are in cool and aired room with shade. Be careful of conservatory as they get hot very quickly.
Here is some signs and tip to do if you notice any sign of heat storke āļø
Signs of heatstroke in dogs include:
Panting
Drooling and foaming at the mouth
Bright red gums
Shaking
Weakness and collapse
Confusion
Vomiting and diarrhoea (sometimes containing blood)
Seizures
Death
Itās important to act fast if you notice your dog developing symptoms of heatstroke.
Keep them calm and still
Take them indoors or into a shady area
Give them a drink of cold water (not ice, or icy water)
Contact your vet
Make sure they have plenty of air flowing around them
Put them on top of a wet towel
Using cool (not icy) water* to slowly wet the top of their head, feet, ears and fur
Once they seem a bit cooler, you can start to pour cool water over their body (be careful they donāt inhale any)
If possible, continue cooling your dog on the way to your vet
*Never use ice or very cold water ā this can cause shock.
Treatment
Your vet will examine your dog and try to reduce their temperature by carefully using fans, cool water, and a fluid drip if necessary. Your dog may also need medication if they start fitting because of heatstroke. Your dog will be monitored very closely until they have recovered, and may require blood tests if your vet is concerned about their vital organs.
Your dog will then be sent home for monitoring once they are stable, but you will need to keep a close eye on them for 24-48 hours and let your vet know if they deteriorate or develop any symptoms such as confusion, refusing food, vomiting, or diarrhoea.
Preventing heatstroke in dogs
Dog drinking water from a water bottle in summer
Itās vitally important to protect your dog from heatstroke, especially if they are flat-faced, overweight, or have a thick coat. There are some simple things that you can do to reduce the chance of a problem, such as:
Avoid walking your dog during the hottest part of the day; instead, take them out in the morning or evening when it is cooler. Avoid exercise completely on warm days if they are unfit, elderly, young, overweight, unwell, or have breathing difficulties.
Make sure your dog always has access to shade and water, especially if you are sitting in a sunny area with them. Itās a good idea to take a travel bottle and bowl with you on walks.
Use a harness instead of a collar, especially if your dog is brachycephalic (flat-faced). Collars can put pressure on the neck and make it difficult for a dog to breathe and cool down.
Never walk your dog on a surface that is too warm for you to place your hand on it comfortably for 7 seconds. Sand, artificial grass and tarmac get especially hot.
Never leave your dog in a hot car on a warm day, not even for a few minutes or with the window open. Cars get hot very quickly, which can be fatal for a dog left trapped inside.
Avoid travelling with your dog in a car when itās hot. If travel is absolutely necessary, make sure they have access to drinking water, plenty of shade, and air flowing around them. Cooling mats can be useful when travelling on warm days.
Keep your dog a healthy weight; overweight dogs find it more difficult to cool themselves down.
Consider having your dog clipped in the warmer months if they have a heavy coat.
Heatstroke in brachycephalic dogs
Dogās noses play a very important part in keeping them cool by releasing excess body heat into the air they breathe out. Brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs struggle to release heat this way because of the drastically reduced space they have inside their nose. This puts flat-faced dogs at a very high risk of heatstroke, even on cool days, and especially during exercise and on hot days. Dogs most affected include the Pug, English Bulldog, French Bulldog, Dogue de Bordeaux, Pomeranian, Shih Tzu and Boston Terrier. English Bulldogs are 14 times more likely to develop heatstroke than Labradors, and Pugs are 6 times more likely!
