Prayer!!!
Thanks for the picture John.
Kenabriz, Inc.
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Kenabriz, Inc. |
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Canine Heat Stroke Heat stroke in dogs is becoming a serious issue. Many pet owners are aware of the effects of heat on themselves, but forget that our lovable, friendly, and trusting companions rely totally on our judgment to keep them safe.We have seen and heard of pet owners who exercise by jogging in the heat of the day and take their companion with them. Or they bike along and run the dog by their side. Exercise is necessary to keep the body fit for both dogs and their best friends, but caution and common sense need to be exercised as well. Just about every animal in nature rests during the heat of the day. Please do your dog a huge favor. Exercise more often and for shorter periods of time before and/or after the heat of the day, and ALWAYS let your pet rest completely in a cool, well ventilated area with plenty of cool water available. Remember, they totally rely on our judgment to keep them safe. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Henry De Boer Jr. Question: Answer: Heat stroke occurs when the dog's ability to regulate its body temperature is lost. A dog regulates body temperature primarily through respiration. When the respiratory tract cannot evacuate heat quickly enough, the body temperature rises. Normal body temperature is less than 103F, but once the temperature goes over 105F a number of physiologic events can occur that make it even more difficult for the animal to regain control of its temperature. At this time, oxygen delivery to the system cannot keep up with rapidly elevating demand. If the temperature exceeds 108F, cellular damage starts to occur in a number of organ systems including the kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract, heart and brain. The extent of the cellular damage depends on the magnitude and the duration of the temperature elevation. Clearly, this can be a life-threatening situation, but for those animals that survive there is the possibility of long term problems after the occurrence. There are a number of predisposing factors for heat stroke. Some of the most significant are listed here. Dogs experiencing heat stroke will have a muddy pink color of their gums instead of the nice red-pink color that normally exists. Their heart rate will be dramatically elevated, and they will be panting furiously. They tend to stand or walk very slowly without regard to where they are. Some will lay on their sternum. Most dogs will have a wild or panicked expression and are not particularly aware of their environment. Any combination of these symptoms should have an owner scrambling for a rectal thermometer and taking those steps necessary to help drive the temperature back down. If a thermometer is not available, presume it to be heat stroke and initiate treatment. If the animal does not respond favorably, the diagnosis can be reevaluated later. Significantly delaying the treatment of heat stroke can dramatically increase the risk of long-term consequences or death. Heat stroke is an emergency that requires veterinary assistance, but you can effectively initiate treatment in most cases before heading for the veterinary hospital. You must aggressively assist the dog's efforts to lower body temperature with the use of water and air. Since the lungs cannot keep up with the heat buildup, we now have to cool the skin and associated blood vessels so the body's temperature will decrease. Submersion of the dog in cool water will start to bring the temperature down quickly. You will want to avoid extremely cold water or ice since they cause the blood vessels in the skin to constrict and will not allow for a meaningful heat exchange. If there isn't anything available to submerse the dog in, you can start wetting him down with a hose. Wet him down all over, but let the water run continuously in the groin area since there are large numbers of significant and relatively superficial blood vessels in that area that will allow for more rapid cooling of the blood. The dog should be in a well-ventilated, shady area to allow for evaporation of the water. Evaporation cools body temperatures very effectively. When you are transporting him to the veterinary hospital, keep the air conditioner on or the windows open, or use the back of a truck to increase evaporation. Do not use an enclosed style crate since it allows for very little evaporation or fresh cool air for the lungs. Do not cover the dog with a wet towel as it will prevent evaporation. Once the temperature starts dropping, you should seek veterinary assistance. It is advisable in most cases to start these animals on intravenous fluids and monitor kidney and liver function for at least several days. The necessity for this laboratory work depends on the magnitude and the duration of the elevated temperature, but even in relatively short mild occurrences, it is a wise precaution to take. Obviously prevention of heat stroke is a far better alternative than treatment. Everyone is aware of the risks of having a dog in a vehicle in the summer, but there are some less obvious risk factors that we all need to be aware of. Even moderate environmental temperatures can be very significant when there is little or no ventilation. Heavy muscular activity drives body temperatures up with alarming speed. Following intervals of high activity, return the dog to an air conditioned vehicle, or wet the dog down and go to an area that is shaded and preferably breezy to allow for evaporation. Do not wet the dog down and return it to an enclosed style crate, as you will be creating a steam bath like environment. Make sure there is access to reasonable volumes of cool fresh water both before and after activity. We also need to be conscious of those animals that are at increased risk, which would include those dogs that have high body mass, older dogs, and those that are carrying more weight than is normal for them. Being aware of the various risk factors as well as the environmental considerations should help all of us avoid this potentially devastating problem. Dr. Henry De Boer Jr. practices veterinary medicine at his Pioneer Valley Veterinary Hospital in western Massachusetts. An accomplished competitor in the sport of Schutzhund, his involvement with working dogs dates to the mid 1960's when he began training and handling hunting dogs. In 1984 he became involved with the sport of Schutzhund and has gradually risen to the level of national competitor. Known primarily as a motivational trainer, he also provides training assistance to others to help them achieve their training goals. His wide range of experience lends a unique understanding to the special veterinary problems of working canines and their handlers. Dr. De Boer provides specialized online veterinary services to working dogs and their owners on his innovative web site http://www.workingk-9vet.com Working K9 Veterinary Consultation Services. Information was copied from Dr. Henry De Boer Jr. web site: http://www.workingdogs.com/deboer_heatstroke.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- de la Houssaye Animal Hospital Heat stroke is a very serious emergency seen in south Louisiana in people as
well as family pets. If this condition is not corrected in a timely manner, the
result can be either permanent damage to internal organs such as the heart,
kidneys, liver, lungs, brain, or even worse, death. Info copied from de la Houssaye Animal Hospital web site: http://ebiz.hibernia.com/animalclinic/heatstroke ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- V E T F O C U S U P D A T E | 2 0 0 6 THE ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER Health Information To Assist You And Your Patients CANINE HEAT STROKE “In the upcoming eight weeks, countless cases of canine heat stroke are likely to be presented to area veterinarians,” said Dr. Linda Barton, Diplomate, ACVECC and Head of The AMC’s Emergency Critical Care Service, Citing a recent paper in The Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 2006;20:38-46 based on research at the Hebrew University School of Veterinary Medicine in Jerusalem, Barton identified risk factors for the development of heat stroke in dogs. She added that overall mortality in the JVIM study was 50%, and that dogs experiencing seizures, hypoglycemia, disseminated intravascular coagulation and azotemia, had an increased risk of death from heat stroke. Because of these recommendations, and as a service to referring veterinarians, The Animal Medical Center is passing on these helpful tips to share with your clients during the hot months ahead. • Come to the hospital immediately when a dog collapses. The amount of time from collapse to admission resulted in more cases of disseminated intravascular coagulation. • Cool your dog off only if it will not delay arrival at a veterinary hospital. Dogs cooled by owners did not have a better prognosis. • Take extra precautions with overweight dogs on hot, humid days. Overweight dogs had a case fatality rate double that of normal weight dogs. Develop a weight loss plan with your veterinarian to benefit your pet’s health long term. • If you have a bulldog, pug, shar pei, Pekinese or other brachycephalic breed, limit their outdoor access on hot, humid days. The short nose of these dogs may not allow adequate cooling on the hottest summer days. These breeds were twice as likely to develop heat stoke compared to other dogs seen at the same hospital. • Although large breed dogs, such as golden or Labrador retrievers, rottweilers and English bulldogs, need a lot of exercise, chose exercise times when the heat and humidity are low. These dogs were twice as likely to develop heat stroke compared to other dogs seen at the same hospital and heat stroke occurred more frequently when the discomfort index exceeded the average for a given day. Discomfort index is a measure of heat and humidity. For additional information on managing heat stroke, Barton urged referring veterinarians to see the June 2006 issue of The Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, which has an excellent review on heat stroke pathophysiology and treatment. The contents of this notice are for informational and educational purposes only. This notice is not intended to substitute for professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The responsibility for assuring the health of animals remains with treating veterinarians, and must be based upon their professional experience, knowledge of the patient, and communication with the pet owner. The Animal Medical Center assumes no liability or responsibility for any diagnosis or treatment made in reliance of this notice. To request not to receive future faxes from the Animal Medical Center, please call 212 329-8890. Information was copied from The Animal Medical Center web site:
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