This summer has had record breaking temperatures so it is good to be reminded of how the heat can affect our canine friends. In fact, it really doesn’t take much for a dog to get overheated in hot temperatures since their body temperature is higher than humans’ (average temperature range for dogs is 100 F to 102 F and higher than 104 F warrants an immediate trip to the veterinarian because dogs can die from overheating). You cannot accurately determine by touch if your dog is overheated so you need to know the signs.
1. Pay attention to your dog’s breathing. Their panting will be noisy, fast and profuse.
2. Check your dog’s tongue. The hotter the dog is, the longer their tongue hangs out of their mouth. It gets wider too. A bright red tongue can also indicate overheating.
3. Gums can be either bright red or blue.
4. Dogs can also be clumsy, disoriented or suddenly fall down.
5. Vomiting and or diarrhea can occur.
6. Seizure
Ways to cool your dog:
1. Keep your dog’s tongue wet with cool, not cold, water.
2. Get in air condition or shade. Make sure it’s a well ventilated area so the heat will evaporate.
3. Run cool, not cold, water over the dog.
4. Once you know your dog’s temperature has started to go down, stop the cooling process. The dog’s body will continue to cool on its own.
The information above was gathered from the websites below. Please check out these websites for more detailed information. You never know when you’ll need to know this information so be informed!
www.gshepherd.com/heat_stroke.htm
www.vetlive.com/2011/05/28/overheating-in-dogs/
www.petplace.com/dogs/be-a-cool-owner-don-t-let-your-dog-overheat/page1.aspx
www.outdoorlife.com/articles/hunting/2009/05/dog-overheating
