Dogs die from overheating “in a completely senseless way”. “The typical symptoms of heatstroke are shortness of breath, drooling and stupor. In such cases, you need to act immediately! It is important to start cooling the dog at home before going to the vet. Many owners go straight to the vet, which wastes time and often costs the dog’s life. “Veterinarians can save about half, and possibly sixty percent, of dogs suffering from heatstroke, so the focus is on prevention,” wrote the Guide Dog School in Baráthegy in a statement.
The foundation spoke to veterinarian Andrea Palos about the development of heat stroke and its treatment at home, and a press release about it was sent to our editorial office. As you can read in the announcement, the daytime temperature has been consistently above 35 degrees Celsius for the past two weeks, and the almost unbearable heat wave is affecting people as well as dogs.
In the past few days, it has been common for dogs arriving for vaccinations to have a temperature of 39-40 degrees as soon as they walk down the street and enter the clinic. In this case, they have not yet suffered from heat stroke, but they are about to suffer from it, so we have to cool them down. Unfortunately, we can only save about half, maybe sixty percent, of dogs suffering from heat stroke, so the focus is on prevention
“It's a very scary situation,” said veterinarian Andrea Palos of Soscot, who cited two scary examples from the past few days.
- A farmer took his Pointer out into the field at 6 a.m. The dog collapsed after 15-20 minutes of fast running, and they couldn't help him.
- The other incident happened at night. A Transylvanian hound was taken to guard the corn. The temperature outside must be 28-29 degrees at night. No wonder his body temperature rose while driving the wild boars, and they couldn't cool him down immediately. He couldn't release the heat and unfortunately he died because of it.
This is how to give first aid to dogs with heat stroke
This new situation, and the unprecedented heat sooner or later, can no longer be an excuse, as we have already tasted in recent years. Andrea Palos considers the responsibility of the farmers to be that, due to lack of preparation, they are not able to think about the situation correctly. “The typical symptoms of heat stroke are panting, drooling, staggering, that is, the dog cannot walk straight. In such cases, you have to act immediately! It is important to start cooling the dog at home before going to the vet. Many owners go straight to the vet, which wastes time and often costs the dog's life. Because by the time the owner finds the vet open, then while he gets there, he waits, etc., the animal should have been cooled at home. As a result of the high temperature, the organs begin to deteriorate and the circulation may stop.”
The most important thing is to provide first aid as soon as the symptoms of heat stroke are detected.
Dr. Palos concluded. Let's start by cooling the animal with cold water, but not ice cold! This problem can also be solved with a wet cloth. If there is water nearby, the dog will lie in it by itself, which should be left. However, even if we put a wet cloth on long-haired dogs, they will not cool down. Their skin must be well patted so that their fur is soaked and the cold water comes into contact with their bodies. In dogs with large fur, the paw pads and ears should be cooled with a wet cloth, as they can release more heat.
Andrea Palos said that even vets have started cooling dogs that arrive with heat stroke. They can also give cold injections and special medications to lower the internal temperature. “I made a phone call today. Fortunately, the owner didn’t leave, but gave the dog first aid as instructed, and then took him to the clinic. “This dog survived,” the vet said.
There has not been a case of heatstroke at the institution so far, said Piroska Komondi, professional director of the Baráthegy Guide Dog School.
We use air conditioners to cool rooms and cars that are too hot, and of course it is not good to put them in a very cold temperature and blow them on dogs, because they can get cold just like humans, even if their fur protects them to some extent.
– Tell. Andrea Palos added that dogs can catch a cold due to the climate, but she had never experienced anything like this before, and a little coughing was not such a problem. “It is better to have one dog in a thousand catch a cold due to the climate than to lose hundreds to heat stroke,” she said.
Heat stroke, sunstroke, heat shock – these are the things you need to know
About the difference between the three mentioned cases, azenkutiam.hu has compiled a meaningful article. After all, we often use the three terms as synonyms, although their meaning is not nearly the same, just as different things can be blamed for their development.
Among the above-mentioned symptoms of heat stroke are vomiting and diarrhea, but dilated pupils, rapid heartbeat, and thick saliva can also be revealing. Heat shock, on the other hand, can be caused by strenuous physical exertion and insufficient fluid replacement, while heat stroke in humans is similarly caused by prolonged exposure to sunlight.
More about this topic azenkutjam.hu You can read in his article.
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