It's HOT Out There!!! "Heat Stroke"

This is a post from last year, but I just saw my first official heat stroke of the year and it's only June 28th!  We have had maybe five, 100+ days so far.  This means there are many more heat stroke dogs to come.  This was a small dog that was only left outside for 1 hour, but as I explained to the owner, it doesn't take very long to get overheated when your covered in fur!!  Everyone be careful out there, if it's too hot for you, it's too hot for your pet!

First of all Heat Stroke is an emergency!!! If you are googling because you think your pet has heat stroke, you need to stop and call your vet immediately!


I wanted to write about Heat Stroke now because here in Texas we are experiencing days and days of triple digit heat. It is miserable just walking from your car to inside the store. Even those pets that are used to being outside need some extra measures to make sure they're safe in this heat.



Causes:
Heat Stroke can occur at anytime the temperature rises above 105 F.

• When an animal is left outside in very hot/humid conditions (Texas in general).
This is made worse by; lack of shade, water or proper ventilation. Being very hairy, sick, overweight or having a short nose (pugs, bulldogs, shih tzu's) are things that can impair your pets ability to dissipate the heat.

• Exercising your pet in hot/humid weather.
I feel that it is only safe to exercise your pet very early (before 7am) or very late (after 8pm) here in Texas. And then I wouldn't walk more than 30-40 minutes depending on your pets fitness level.

• Leaving your animal in the car or in an un-air conditioned home, in hot/humid conditions.
I think I have said enough here...



Symptoms:
Signs can vary depending on the degree and duration of elevated temperature.

• Prolonged or excessive panting and increased temperature (over 105 F) are the most common
• Weak and Wobbly
• Collapse or Coma/non-responsive
• Red or blue(cyanotic) gums
• Vomit and/or Diarrhea. Can be bloody.
• Delayed Signs: Can occur 3-5 days after supposed recovery. There could be decreased urine production, yellow color to the gums or eyes (jaundice), or sudden death due to infection or heart malfunction.



Treatment:

• Call your vet or the closest animal emergency center!!
• Get the animal into a cooler environment. Into the shade or in the air conditioned house.
• If possible record the rectal temperature and write it down.
• Wet the pet with cool tap water. NOT ice water. The ice water actually prevents effective inner body cooling.
• Wrap the animal in a cool, wet towel and transport to your vet immediately.
• Once at your Veterinarian office, your pet with most likely be hospitalized. Blood work, intravenous fluids and appropriate medications should be started immediately. Expect a 3-5 day stay for treatment.


Prognosis:

This really depends on the severity of the heat stroke. Survival is poor for animals presented in a coma and for those with secondary organ failure.

Animals that survive heat stroke are more prone to reoccurrence in the future. Please make sure these animals keep in an air conditioned environment during the next heat wave.



Prevention:

• If you live in the south and it's 100+ degrees outside try to have those animals inside. Dogs are easily crate trained.
• If being inside just isn't something you can do, you MUST provide shade, cool/fresh water and an area with air movement.
• Some dogs love water: Get them a children’s wading pool-refill it daily.
• If you don't have shade, make some. Tarps and posts are cheap and easy to make shade out of.
• If your yard is small or if you have a wooden privacy fence the amount of air movement is almost zero. Think about investing in an industrial fan or a outdoor ceiling fan if you have a patio. Putting in grated vent areas in your fence may also help.
• Above all don't take a pet that has been inside and suddenly decide to make them an outdoor dog when it’s 100+ outside. These animals are not used to the heat and are much more susceptible to heat stroke than those that always live outside. It's like asking someone who works at a desk to suddenly change jobs and start replacing roofs for a living!

5 Most Important Things

"What does my pet need?'  Many people haven't had pets before or it has been a long time, and they don't know what they need to do for them.  Soooo, I decided I would make a list of the 5 most important things.  I feel like Dr. Oz and his 'Top 10 Daily Essentials'!!!!  This list is for dogs AND cats.

**This is in no form or way 'everything' you need to do for your pet, but this is a fantastic place to start.  I think if you do these 5 things for your pets health, you are on your way to having your pet for many, many years to come.**

1.  Yearly Wellness Exam at your Veterinarian
    Office

• This visit is so important, especially in those older pets, who could be starting to have problems with their teeth, heart, etc.
• Just a little trade secret, it helps if your veterinarian and the staff know you.  That way we already know what you want.  That makes it easier to make the right decisions about your pets care.

2.  Vaccinations

• These maybe yearly or every few years.  It depends on the vaccine.  These vaccines prevent many 'non-treatable' diseases.  Non-treatable means your pet will most likely die if infected with the disease, for example- Rabies.
• Your veterinarian can help with choosing the appropriate vaccines.

3.  Heartworm Prevention

• Yes! Cats get heartworms!
• Heartworms have been found in all 50 states.  Below is a map with the number of cases per clinic.
• In the state of Texas, where I practice, heartworm prevention is a MUST!
• Heartworms cause heart disease and eventually death.
• They are super easy to PREVENT.  It is just a once a month; topical-drop or a by mouth tablet/chew.
• TREATING heartworms is NOT super easy.  It requires a series of injections and a pre-treatment workup.
• Let me give you a cost break-down on prevention versus treatment.  A years worth of prevention for a 60 pound dog costs ~$120 versus ~$920 for treatment!!!!  You can prevent heartworms for 9 years before it even starts to even out!!

4. Flea/Tick Prevention

• Not only are they disgusting, they also spread disease.  These parasites feed on blood and spread numerous life threatening diseases.
• When it comes to flea/tick prevention I am a big brand name supporter.  There are several cheaper but less effective options out there, I don't think they work very well and they can be harmful to your pets, esp. cats.
• Every veterinarian has their favorite products.  Mine are Advantage for fleas and Frontline for fleas and ticks.  Both are safe but mostly they WORK!!!

5.  Good Food

• I get asked all the time what the best food is...  This is a very touchy question with some people, so my response is usually.                     

                 -"Buy the best food you can afford, you get what you pay for."-

• My favorite brands are Science Diet, Iam's, Eukanuba, and Purina Pro Plan or O.N.E.  All of these companies have been around fooorrreevver.  They have years of research in animal nutrition.  They also have fantastic customer support.  They guarantee all of their products, if the dog won't eat it, they give you your money back!