Every Dog Owner Should Learn to Treat Emergency Heat Stress in a Dog
Your dog's resistance to extreme temperature may be weakened by obesity or the advancement of age. Those breeds with pushed in faces face higher risk from high temperature variations. The presence of respiratory difficulties in such dogs in ordinary conditions enhances the risk. Unlike humans, the excess heat in the body of the dog is not eliminated by sweating. The regulation of their temperature takes place primarily through respiration.
Dogs that do not have pushed in faces can withstand exposure to direct sun and high temperature if they are left free to move about. However, if they are confined and restrained, then they too will fall prey to heat stress. Hence, do not leave your dog inside the car or leashed to a post or in a pen with other dogs if the temperature is very high. In such conditions, a life threatening emergency can quickly set it.
The dog will have a hot and dry tongue, red mucous membranes in the mouth, a rapid heartbeat and very dry skin. It will have a dazed look and may even become unconscious. The longer the dog is exposed to high temperature, more are the chances of its body temperature remaining high and more are the chances of irreversible damage taking place.
If heat stress has occurred, then immediate action must be taken. The first thing you should do is bring your dog to a cooler environment. Take the dog indoors. This is the best option. Call your vet and get the dog to the clinic as quickly as possible. Considering the distance to be traveled, begin emergency treatment under telephonic instructions to stabilize the dog and then get it to the vet. However, if you are not in a position to contact or reach the vet in a short time, then you will have to take remedial steps yourself.
The first thing you should do is to lower the temperature of the dog. Immerse the body of the dog in cold water and keep it there. Ensure that the dog does not collapse in the water. Massage the skin and extend the legs of the dog to stimulate flow of the cooled blood to the heart and to the heat sensitive brain. Check the rectal temperature every ten minutes. The temperature should fall but it should not fall below 103 °F (39.4 °C). Once the temperature of the dog has come down to 103 °F (39.4 °C), remove the dog from the water. Keep checking temperature every ten minutes for the next forty five minutes.
Once the temperature has fallen, it should not rise again. If it rises again, keep the dog in the cold water again and try getting the advice of the vet. It is essential that the temperature stabilizes before the dog can be taken over a long distance to the vet. If the temperature remains stable, the dog is now in the condition to be taken to the vet. Do not relax after fall in temperature as medications are a must to prevent the complications which follow heat stress.
About the Author:
Article by Kelly Marshall of www.ohmydogsupplies.com - the place to find free shipping on dog toys in over 100 different models