VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists

Heat Stress Injury Prevention + Care

Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome:

• DogssuchasPugs,BostonTerriers,FrenchBulldogs,Pekingese,Boxers,English Bulldogs,andShihTzu’saredescribedas“brachycephalic”.Thewordmeans“short head”.Brachycephalicbreedsarecharacterizedbybrachycephalicrespiratory syndrome.Thissyndromeconsistsof4anatomicalchangesthatcanaffecttheir breathing.These dogs often pant very inefficiently, thus inefficiently cool themselves. • ThemostsusceptiblebreedtothesechangesistheEnglish Bulldog.Thesedogs shouldnotexerciseorbeactiveatallintheheat.Heatstresscanleadtoheat strokeandthiscanbefatal.

• Brachycephalicsareoftenmoresusceptibletotheeffectsofanesthesiaandare higheranestheticrisks.Surgerycanbeperformedtocorrecttheseanatomical changesindogsthatareclinicallyaffected.Notalldogsrequireorwouldbenefit fromthissurgery.

Prevention of Heat Stress Injury:

• Exerciseyourdogbefore8amandafter7pmonwarmerdays. • Avoideverleavingyourpetinthecarinwarmweather. •Brachycephalic breeds should not exercise (or spend time) in warm weather. • Ensurethatpetshaveaccesstowateratalltimes. • Usefans,airconditioningunits,etc.tokeeppetsindoorenvironmentcoolduring warmerdays. • Slowlyintroducedogstoexercisewhentheweatherabruptlychangesfrommildto warmertemperatures. • Provideshelter/shadeandwaterforalldogsthatliveoutside. • Keepyourdoginagoodbodycondition-overweightdogsaremorepronetoheat stressinjury. • Duringexercise,giveyourdogfrequentbreaksandfreeaccesstowater.

Forquestionsorguidance,ifyouareworriedthatyourpetmayhavesufferedfromheatstressinjury,pleasefeelfreetocalltheEmergencystaffat

VCA NWVS: 503-656-3999

Heatstroke/Heat Exhaustion

Normal body temp in dogs and cats: 100.5 - 102.5 F

Heat Exhaustionistheconditioncausedbyexposureofthebodytoexcessiveheat,es-peciallywhenananimalisexercisinginwarmtemperatures.Clinicalsignsthatyourdogissufferingfromheatexhaustioninclude:

• Excessive panting • Drinking large amounts of water

Heat Stroke:Whenadogisunabletodissipateexcessheat,heatexhaustioncanpro-ceedtoheatstroke.Heatstrokeoccurswhenadog’sbodytemperaturereaches105degreesForgreater.

Clinical signs of heat stroke include:

• Restlessness/Agitation • Heavy drooling with thick saliva • Bright red tongue/gums • Weakness • Vomiting • Diarrhea • Racing pulse • Limbs that are warm/hot to the touch • Disorientation • High body temperature (<105)

Dogsaremoresusceptibletorapidchangesinclimateconditionsandoverheatingthanhumans:theyareunabletosweat(exceptthroughglandsintheirfeet)andmustcoolthemselvesbypanting.Specificconditionsorsituationsthatputananimalatriskforoverheatinginclude:

• Dogswithshorterfacesandnoses(i.e.Boxers,Mastiffs,Pugs,Bulldogs)have shorterairwaysandaremoreinefficientatcoolingthemselves. • Dogswiththickhaircoats(i.e.theAkita,SiberianHusky,GermanShepherd)and darkhaircoats(i.e.BlackLabrador,Doberman)absorbandretainheateasily; therefore,haveamoredifficulttimedissipatingheat.

• Dogsthathaverecentlymovedtoawarmerclimateorarebeingexposedtoa dramaticchangeinweather. • Dogswhoaredehydrated,whoareoverexerted,orwhoareuntrained. • Dogswithunderlyingmedicalconditionssuchasheartdiseaseorobesity. • Dogsthathavehadapriorepisodeofheatstroke. • Catsarerarelyaffectedbyheatstressinjury.

First Aid Measures for Heat Stroke:

Optionsforcoolingmeasures:

• Gentlysprayorapplycoolortepidwatertotheaffecteddog.DONOTuseice water,icebathsorapplyicetoanoverheateddog.Theapplicationofextremely coldsubstancestoanoverheatedanimal’sbodycausesthebloodvesselsto constrict,thebloodtoflowmoreslowlyandlimitsoverallcooling.

• Applywet,cooltowelsalongthedog’schest,abdomen,betweenitslegsandaround theneck.EncourageanoverheateddogtodrinkbutDONOTforceanoverheated dogtodrinkwater.

• Keepanimalsw/heatstresscalmandremovethemfromdirectsun.Transportan overheateddogtoanair-conditionedbuildingorvehicle.Ifavailable,fansarevery effectiveindecreasingthetemperatureofanoverheateddog.Itisessentialthat animalsarecloselymonitoredwhenelectricaldevicesareinuse.

Oncecoolingmeasuresareinitiated,monitoradog’srectaltemperatureevery2-3min-utes.Oncethetemperaturehasdecreasedto103-104degreesF,discontinueactivecoolingmeasures.Ananimalthathassufferedfromheatstrokehasdifficultymaintaininganormaltemperatureduetodamagethathasbeendonetotheir“internalthermometer”andtheycaneasilybecomehypothermic.TransportthedogtoaveterinaryhospitalASAP:excessiveheatcancreatewidespreaddamagetoadog’sinternalorgansandtheearliersupportivecareisstarted,thebetterchancethereisforfullrecovery.Dogswhohavesufferedheatstrokecanhavecomplicationshourstodaysaftertheevent;thesedogsarealsomoresusceptibletovariationsintemperaturefortheremainderoftheirlives.