Janet Jones | Special to the Fitzhugh
Welcome to the dog days of summer!
FYI: This time of year has been known as “the dog days” since Greek and Roman times as Sirius, the brightest star and part of the Canis Major constellation, rises with the sun during late July and early August, the hottest time of the year. It was even thought by the Romans to actually add to the heat of the sun.
Finally we have started to experience summer in Jasper and the heat that comes with it and most humans welcome the warmer temperatures.
But what does this mean for our pets, especially dogs?
Let me relate an incident that happened July 29.
It was a hot summer day and a young family stopped in Jasper for a break on their way to Kamloops. They wandered around town for a few hours with their cherished family dog at their side. Juniper was a large, old dog with a thick, black coat and she trundled along uncomplaining.
At the end of the afternoon they all piled into the small family car and headed down the west highway. A few kilometres out of town they realized that something was desperately wrong with Juniper. She was breathing rapidly and with great effort and appeared to be losing consciousness. They raced back to town and even called 911 to get directions to the vet clinic.
Juniper arrived at our door gasping for air, semi-conscious and her tongue and gums were dark purple – in short she was dying.
Fortunately we were all still here and the team leapt into action. Her temperature was 42 degrees Celsius, a full four degrees above normal, which is life threatening as it can quickly cause fatal organ damage.
A technician immediately put a catheter in her leg and started IV fluid administration while another tech initiated oxygen therapy. Other team members began soaking her fur with cool water and used fans to allow for rapid convection cooling. We also monitored her blood glucose as she was using so much energy she could become hypoglycemic which would further complicate matters.
Within about half an hour her temperature started to go down and her desperate gasping began to ease. We continued cooling and oxygen therapy over another half an hour until her temperature reached high normal levels and she was able to lie on her sternum and her breathing settled to a normal pant.
We knew that she had a chance when Nicole called her name and her tail gave a little wag. At that point we all gave a cheer and started to relax a bit.
Over the next hour Juniper returned to almost normal. She ate and drank and was able to walk although she was still a little unsteady. After continuing observation for a couple of hours we sent her back to her family for close monitoring overnight.
The next day Juniper appeared to have made a full recovery but it may take a couple of weeks to know for sure that there has been no permanent organ damage.
So what happened? How did an afternoon stroll turn into a life threatening emergency?
Heat stroke is insidious and difficult to recognize in pets until they are in real trouble. A hot dog can become a dog with heat stroke over a very short period of time.
Dogs only sweat through their paws and rely on panting and convection heat loss to regulate their temperatures. Juniper had many things working against her; she was black so absorbed more heat, she had a thick coat so virtually no ability for heat loss through convection and she was old and may not have been able to thermo-regulate as well as a younger dog.
Furthermore, she was uncomplaining and just continued to follow along despite becoming increasingly overheated. The final straw was getting into an extremely hot car which, although it had air conditioning, would take some time to cool down after being closed up in the hot sun.
Fortunately, her owners recognized she was in trouble before they got very far from town and their quick response was critical in saving her life. That and an effective vet team effort allowed for a happy ending to the story.
So the take home points of this cautionary tale are as follows.
- Be careful about how long and when you exercise your dog on a hot day; go for shorter walks early and late in the day.
- Make sure your pet has access to water before, during and after the walk and do not allow them to drink a lot at once.
- Consider just making the activity a trip to the lake or river so they can cool off.
- Be especially careful if your dog has a thick coat, a dark coat or is older.
Remember that any dog is at risk for heat stroke and if you are hot your dog will be much hotter. And of course NEVER leave any animal in a car on a hot day even if it is in the shade or the windows are cracked open.
If your dog starts panting heavily and having trouble breathing, becomes weak and disoriented and their tongue becomes blue or purple they are showing signs of heat stroke.
Immediately get them to a cool place out of the sun and allow them to rest. Actively cool them by wetting their fur and getting air to blow over them. Do not immerse them in water as the most effective way of cooling is convection.
Pay special attention to groin and armpits as there is less hair there and also large blood vessels are close to the skin. Allow them to eat and drink small amounts if they are able.
If your dog does not respond within a short time period or is getting worse then get to professional help ASAP.
Enjoy our heat wave but remember to consider how it will affect your dog and take steps to make sure they do not overheat.
Dr Janet Jones DVM is the owner of the Jasper Veterinary Clinic, a full service clinic with a satellite clinic in Valemount, British Columbia. Call 780-852-5551.
