Animal Health, Veterinary Services, West Fork, AR

Heat Stroke

It's a nice, hot day outside, and you want to take your pet with you driving. You leave him in the car for "just a minute" as you go pay for the gas. You see an old friend and get to talking... before you know it, it's been 10 minutes. You go back to your car and see your pet has collapsed is salivating, panting uncontrollably and loosing consciousness. YOUR PET HAS JUST HAD A HEAT STROKE!

An animal left alone in a car is one of the most common causes of heat stroke. The animals breath can increase the temperature in an enclosed space by 40 degrees, especially in direct sunlight.

The breath of an animal is 100% humidity and has a base temperature of 102 degrees F. Even if a window is open in your car, unless a constant cool breeze is present, the temperature will still increase and increase fast. Animals need to inhale air that is cooler than their body temperature, which is between 101-102 degrees F. This can be very difficult to do on those hot and muggy days. If your animal is left with no way to cool down it can become very dangerous for your pet and very quickly.

Cell damage can start to take place within your animal's body at high temperatures and this cell damage can become irreversible if left too long. Unfortunately, this can result in death to your pet if your animal has not received medical attention.

If pets are confined to small spaces, like a car, too long they will begin to absorb the surrounding air faster than they can release it. Animals do not sweat like people do. They have sweat glands, but do minimal to release heat. This will allow the heat to remain in the body, which causes more panting, which increases the surrounding temperature and continues the cycle.

The SIGNS of heat stroke are rapid panting, wide eyes, salivation, weakness and staggering. As heat stroke progresses you will see the animal collapse and become unconscious. You need to get your animal to the closest veterinarian if you see any of those signs. If you are in a situation that you cannot drive to the veterinarian, you can begin to cool your pet but know that you still need to get them to a veterinarian.

1st: Find out the body temperature (rectal thermometer). Anything above 105 is considered probable for heat stroke.

2nd: Place the animal in cool running water or hose them down with a garden hose. Be sure water touches the skin and it just doesn't run off the fur. Be sure that the belly and underarms get wet. You can try to run cool water over the tongue and mouth, but be sure the animal can swallow. If your pet is unconscious you can wet the mouth but DO NOT put running water in the mouth.

3rd: Monitor the animals temperature. Discontinue your cooling efforts once the temperature reaches 103-104 degrees F. The body will continue to cool itself with your efforts, but prolonged cooling could put your animal in a state of hypothermia (body temperature is too cold).

Now you have done everything you can do as a pet owner. It is now time to allow the professionals to treat your pet. The veterinarians can medicate your pet and perform treatments that will help to stop the damage that has been done to your pets cells.

What can you do as an owner to prevent this from happening to your pet? The obvious answer is to keep him out of a car on hot days! However, heat stroke can occur in your very own back yard. Certain things can increase the chances of your pet developing heat stroke such as not having enough fresh cool water available. Water itself will help to cool your pet, especially on hot days. Fresh water should always be available to your pet, and cool water should be available on hot days. Keep your pet out of enclosed spaces. As indicated above, small spaces can get hot really quick! Those hot days where the humidity is high can also be a threat to your pet. High humidity is not helpful for our pets when they are trying to cool off. Obesity is extremely common in our pets, and can also be very deadly in more ways than just heat stroke. The more obese the animal is, the more mass he has "keeping him warm". On hot days, your pet needs to carry less mass, and unfortunately obese pets are unable to do so, causing them to increase their temperature much more quickly. On hot summer days, exercise should be limited. Over exertion can be a factor of heat stroke. The age of your pet also can be a factor for heat stroke. The older the pet, the less efficient it is in dissipating heat build up. Heart disease is another factor that can increase your pet's chances of developing heat stroke.

Please don't mess around with this! Think about your pet before you take them with you driving around. If you have to leave your pet in the car, think about what you are doing first!

If you think that your pet may be suffering from heat stroke, do not hesitate- GET TO THE VET!