Heatstroke in a dog: symptoms and treatment. Heat stroke in dogs How to tell if your dog is overheated

Just today in the news I came across an article about the death of a five-year-old boy from the heat in a closed car. He stole his father's keys, climbed into the car, and then couldn't get out of it because... the doors were locked. This brings to mind the depressing statistics of children and dogs dying from overheating in cars. What are the symptoms of overheating in dogs and what to do if your dog is overheated?

To begin with, you must always remember that dogs do not cool themselves with the entire surface of their body, like we do. Only through rapid breathing and through the sweat glands on the paws. Moreover, the speed and quality of cooling through breathing directly depends on the length of the dog’s muzzle, so overheating is especially dangerous for dogs with a short muzzle (Pekingese, bulldogs, pugs). Dogs overheat quickly and cool down slowly; an increase in temperature to 40 degrees Celsius leads to poor circulation, and if the temperature rises to 43 degrees, the dog may die.

Vega is a black dog and the sun heats her up even more than others. But the danger lies not only in direct sun rays. It may be cloudy outside, but it is warm and even hot. It's not hot for us, but for the dogs. Vega begins to puff quickly during a walk when the air temperature rises to 13-15 degrees - let alone higher numbers. Of course, a dog usually sheds its coat in the summer and sheds its undercoat, but this doesn’t really help it cool down. In addition, for example, this year the extreme heat began already in May, when Vega had not even begun to shed.

The hotter it is outside, the faster Vega gets tired. When it’s really hot, we no longer throw her a ball or Frisbee, because it’s too hard to run after them, and we move on to “ water procedures” 🙂 Luckily for us (and hers), Vega loves water and sometimes it’s very difficult to keep her from rushing headlong into the river 🙂 Swimming, in my opinion, is an ideal option for maintaining a dog’s physical fitness in the summer. And there is a load, and it’s cool. If you just walk with Vega, restricting her from running around and active games, she begins to act out, becomes excitable, nervous, and refuses to eat.

She is blissful in water :) Dogs do not have sweat glands on their bodies, but cooling can also occur through convection. However, there are some subtleties here. We prefer Vega to swim after the ball rather than rush through shallow water. This is another type of load - a retrieval is thrown into shallow water with a sandy bottom and the dog runs, overcoming the resistance of the water. This is a good thing, but Vega quickly becomes very hot from such running around, she drinks a lot - more precisely, she even grabs water with her mouth - and then she may not be able to bear it and pour a puddle in the apartment. She has deep puddles 🙂 So in the heat, we still prefer to keep her busy by swimming.

One more thing. In civilized countries like the USA there are special swimming pools where you can go with dogs. In our country, only nearby rivers and lakes can be used for this purpose - and then their banks are always full of citizens wanting to swim, despite the very questionable purity of the water. Last year we bathed Vega all summer, and around August she began to have constant loose bowel movements, the reason for which I could not determine. Moreover, she had high-quality diarrhea, with numerous runs out into the yard at night (from the tenth floor of a high-rise building) and soiling the house. Every time there is a hunger strike, filtrum, lactobifadol and other joys of life, the stool returns to normal for a while - and again everything is new. Until we figured out how to connect this with daily bathing. As soon as we stopped bathing, everything returned to normal. Apparently, by the end of summer, even the water in the river becomes so polluted that it can no longer help but affect the dog’s digestion. This is worth keeping in mind if you bathe your dog regularly.

However, if the dog does overheat, what does it look like?

The dog is very excited, rushes about, it is very hot, the tongue turns blue, the gait becomes unsteady, coordination problems are noticeable, increased salivation. If measures are not taken in time, excitement gives way to apathy, the dog breathes heavily, not paying attention to anything, it may begin to have convulsions and vomiting. Symptoms are similar to those of people affected by sun or heatstroke, nothing particularly new. The only trouble is that you need to see them in time, because the dog cannot say anything.

As emergency care carry out the following activities:

Try to calm your dog down with peace signals
Give cold water, but do not force it into your dog's mouth! She should drink in small sips.
Can you spray your dog? cold water(or immerse in water), transfer it to a cool room, make compresses from cold water and ice (only wrapped in a rag, otherwise local hypothermia is possible). You need to start cooling from the legs, then the chest and stomach, then the head and neck.
To improve blood circulation, foot massage is recommended.
Be sure to monitor your dog's body temperature - it is measured with a thermometer in the rectum. Cooling should be stopped when the temperature drops to 38.5-39 degrees. Remember that dogs' normal body temperature is higher than ours and is about 38 degrees.

First aid measures should have an effect in about 10 minutes. If this does not happen, you need to contact your veterinarian.

But, of course, the most correct thing is to carefully monitor the dog’s condition, do not put a narrow muzzle on it in which it cannot open its mouth, do not spend a long time fetching in warm weather, do not leave it in the sun without the opportunity to go into the shade and, of course, Do not leave it in the car, even with the side windows open. Remember that the dog is wearing fur - it’s the same as if we started, say, playing football in the summer in a fur coat and cotton pants. Can you imagine the feeling? Heatstroke would hit us extremely quickly :)

Hyperthermia – acute condition caused by an increase in base body temperature due to the action external factors– long periods of exposure to the sun or indoors with high air temperatures. Unfortunately, most often heatstroke in a dog occurs due to the fault of the owner. The animal instinctively knows when the temperature is too high and tries to cool itself, however, if the dog is locked in a room, carrier or car, the pet suffers from heatstroke.

Fever and heatstroke have the same symptoms, but different reasons. Fever can also be very serious consequences, but the phenomenon stems from physiology - leukocytes fight the disease. During overheating, leukocytes and other blood cells die, the nervous system, brain, internal organs, colonies of intestinal bacteria. Heatstroke is diagnosed if the body temperature rises above 40.5 C°. Let's look at the process step by step:

Range 38.5–39 C° – normal condition or slight increase temperature. The dog is breathing open mouth, lie down on the ground or cold floor, take an unnatural lying position (stretch hind legs so that the stomach touches the floor).

Range 39–39.5 C° – heart rate increases, blood vessels dilate.

Range 39.5–40 C° – blood clotting disorders and vessel destruction, damage to nerve endings, rapid death begin intestinal microflora. The kidneys, heart and brain are working hard.

Range 40.5–42 C° – irreversible damage to organs and the central nervous system occurs, the kidneys stop functioning, which leads to rapid toxicity and impaired consciousness.

The “highest point” at 43 C° - the process of blood clotting and the formation of blood clots begins - swelling of the heart and brain, death.

Read also: Salmonellosis in dogs: diagnosis, treatment and prevention

Important! From the moment the destructive “mechanism” is launched to the “point of no return,” 1–3 hours pass; if the dog is not cooled down and no help is provided, for example, the animal is locked in a car, death occurs in 10–30 minutes.

Signs of heatstroke in a dog

Heatstroke will not cause irreversible consequences if the owner clearly understands the situation and knows what to do. Let's also look at the signs of heatstroke in a dog step by step:

The dog breathes heavily and frequently with his tongue hanging out, takes a lying position, the outflow of saliva is noticeably increased.

Breathing becomes intermittent, the mucous membranes of the eyelids turn red, and a noticeable increase in temperature is felt to the touch.

The eyelids become covered with a red “mesh” (bursted blood vessels), trembling, panic, vomiting are observed.

The animal cannot stand up, loses coordination or consciousness, involuntary bowel movements, and signs of poisoning appear.

After swelling occurs sharp drop temperature, mucous membranes become cyanotic, the animal falls into lethargy, then into a coma.

Even if the process is stopped before the onset of “threatening” symptoms, be sure to show the dog to the veterinarian and closely monitor the pet for 3-5 days, not all complications appear immediately.

Important! No matter how scary it may be, do not stop talking to the animal and encouraging it - loudly, clearly and confidently. Firstly, the calmer the dog, the greater the chance of reducing the temperature, and secondly, you will keep the pet conscious.

Urgent Care

Most often, the pet copes with the first stage of overheating on its own, the main thing is not to disturb it. If your dog shows signs of illness, do the following:

Move the animal to a cool room - temperature 18–22 C°, the floor surface is cold (remove carpets), a drinking bowl with cool water is brought into the room clean water, if there is no draft, wipe the dog’s fur with a wet towel.

Make sure your dog drinks in doses.

Place cold water on the forehead, armpits and thighs. alcohol compress or ice wrapped in film and thin cloth.

If the dog has short hair, rub the pulse points and back with ammonia (medicinal alcohol will also work); with long hair, all exposed areas of the body are treated. Use cotton wool soaked in alcohol, making sure that the dog does not bury its nose or lick the smeared area.

If there is no air conditioning, cover the dog with a damp sheet (not completely) and direct the air flow from the fan at it - take breaks in the blowing every 7-10 minutes.

Constantly monitor your body temperature using a thermometer (preferably an electronic one) - it is important to “lower” the temperature gradually, allowing 1–1.5 hours to cool down. Do not overdo it, at a temperature of 39.5 active process cooling must be stopped.

A dog's fur, which perfectly protects it from the cold, is a problem in hot weather. This is because, unlike humans, dogs do not sweat (dogs have several sweat glands in their paw pads that help with heat production, but only to a minimal extent). Therefore, acclimatization and life especially in summer with the arrival of hot sunny days is more challenging task in our pets than in us.

Regulation of heat exchange occurs through the respiratory tract (trachea, lungs). Dogs eliminate an increase in body temperature only by breathing. And when she doesn't breathe fast enough, her body temperature rises. A fever can be fatal to a dog if it is not treated quickly enough.

Note that excessive shortness of breath and signs of discomfort indicate overheating. It is also important to be aware of the temperature environment and take appropriate preventive measures. Heatstroke will not cause irreversible consequences if the owner clearly understands the situation and knows what to do.

The dog breathes heavily and frequently with his tongue hanging out, takes a lying position, the outflow of saliva is noticeably increased.
Breathing becomes intermittent, the mucous membranes of the eyelids turn red, and a noticeable increase in temperature is felt to the touch.
The eyelids become covered with a red “mesh” (bursted blood vessels), there is trembling, panic, vomiting, diarrhea, the nose is dry and hot.
The animal cannot stand up, loses coordination or consciousness, convulsions, involuntary bowel movements, and signs of poisoning appear.
After swelling, a sharp drop in temperature occurs, the mucous membranes become cyanotic, the animal falls into lethargy, then into a coma.

Causes of heatstroke in dogs

Being in any hot environment can cause heatstroke, but the most common cause is careless actions such as leaving a dog in a car with the windows closed; obstacles to her movement in the open air; lack of free access and unlimited quantity of water; excessive physical exercise.

It is extremely important to remove the dog from the hot environment immediately. If she is in unconscious, make sure you don't get any water in your nose or mouth when following the Emergency Treatment Instructions for Your Dog with Heat Stroke. Also, don't give your dog aspirin to lower his temperature; this may lead to other problems.

“Instructions for providing emergency assistance to a dog with heatstroke”:

Put your dog in the bath.
Turn on a cool shower (not cold) and water the dog's entire body, especially the head, back and neck.
Allow water to fill the bathtub while your dog showers, but keep your dog's head elevated to prevent aspiration pneumonia.
If it is not possible to provide your dog with a bath, then use a garden hose with water, a swimming pool, or other water sources.
Cold compress on the dog's head helps reduce the temperature (frozen vegetables can be used).
Foot massage. Vigorous rubbing helps circulation and reduces the risk of state of shock.
Provide unlimited drinking of cool or cold water. Adding salt to a bowl of water will help replace the minerals lost through heavy/rapid breathing.

The following steps should be taken regardless of whether there was loss of consciousness or not and how quickly the dog recovered:

Check for shock.
Measure the dog's temperature every five minutes, continuing to cool it with water, until it drops below 39.4 °C.
If your dog's temperature drops a little more - approximately 37.8 °C - don't worry, low temperature less dangerous.
Treat shock if necessary.
Contact your veterinarian immediately. Heatstroke can cause invisible problems such as swelling of the brain, renal failure and bleeding disorders. On the way to the veterinary hospital, provide free air flow and air conditioning for cooling.

Treatment will consist mainly of restoring lost fluids and replenishing lost minerals:

Intravenous fluid administration.
Monitor for secondary complications such as renal failure, development of neurological symptoms, and abnormal blood disorders.
In addition, when traveling in a car, make sure that the dog, placed in a special crate, has enough fresh air. Never leave your dog in a car with the windows closed, even if the car is parked in the shade. When your dog is outside, make sure the area is well ventilated and has access to water and shady areas.

Heatstroke in a dog is a critical condition that develops as a result of the animal overheating for one reason or another: in the sun, due to heavy physical exertion, in a closed car.

In this case, the dog’s body temperature rises above 40.5 degrees. (Read what body temperature is considered normal in a dog) Heat stroke develops in situations when the body, using all its capabilities to release excess heat, still “cannot cope.”

The likelihood of heatstroke is especially high in dogs with short muzzles (boxers, bulldogs, pugs, sharpeis) and northern breeds (malamute, husky), as well as in pregnant, elderly, overweight animals, with diseases of the cardiovascular system or respiratory tract. Heatstroke can also affect any dog that has to move around actively. hot weather. Very often, dogs are brought to the veterinarian after being left in a tightly locked car.

Symptoms of Heat Stroke in Dogs

When an animal suffers from heatstroke, its body temperature rises greatly,
mucous membranes turn red,
the animal is weakening,
wants to sleep all the time

Because the similar symptoms In many other diseases, it should be known that the dog is overheated. Also, with heat stroke, there may be convulsions and impaired consciousness. As shock develops, the mucous membranes may become pale and the temperature may drop.

This is a rather dangerous condition because it is too heat begins to damage the animal’s organs, especially the kidneys, lungs, nervous system, gastrointestinal tract. If the temperature rises to 43 degrees, then this damage becomes irreversible. Signs of such severe complications usually appear 3-5 days after the dog has suffered heatstroke.

First aid for a dog with heatstroke

If the owner is sure that the dog’s deterioration in health is due to overheating, the following should be done:

cool it immediately: move it to as cool a place as possible,
moisten the wool with cold water,
on inner surface Apply cold compresses to thighs and armpits

It is best to generally immerse the dog in water, such as a river. Antipyretics should not be given. However, too fast and excessive cooling is dangerous for the dog’s health. Her body temperature must be constantly monitored using a thermometer. The task of the assistance is to reduce the temperature to 39 - 39.5 degrees in 30 minutes - an hour and then stop cooling.

The dog's head should be kept below body level. You can do an enema with cool water. To stimulate cardiac activity, you can give an injection of sulfocamphocaine. After providing first aid, the animal must be shown to a doctor in order not to miss the development of serious complications: violations heart rate, renal failure.

Preventing Heat Stroke

A dog should not be left in a closed car that is parked in the sun.
in the heat, it is generally better to limit the dog’s physical activity - avoid long trips (especially in the summer at sea),
shorten your walk (or postpone it to a later time), do not play in the sun with a ball or stick

Feed your dog once a day in the late evening. If the dog is outdoors, it should have access to shade and access to water. You can equip her with a special sandbox with a depth of at least 30 centimeters. It needs to be watered every morning. The dog will dig a hole for itself and spend the day in the cool. You can also purchase a cooling vest or mat for your dog.

anesthesiologist-resuscitator

What it is?

Thermalhit– this is a critical condition that develops if the animal overheats for one reason or another (in the sun, in a closed car, due to heavy physical exertion), and its body temperature rises above 40.5 ° C.

All warm-blooded animals, including dogs, cats, and humans, know how to deal with excess heat. Animals look for a cool place, try to lie on the cold floor on their stomachs, spreading their hind legs “like a frog.” A person who is hot sweats and thus cools down.

Dogs and cats have very few sweat glands (they are mainly located on the pads of their paws), therefore, in order to increase heat transfer, the animal has to breathe frequently - a lot of heat is lost with exhaled air. In addition, the heart rate increases and the blood vessels of the skin and mucous membranes dilate to increase heat transfer from the surface of the body.

However, if there is no opportunity to go to a cool place, if for some reason breathing or blood circulation is impaired, if it is so hot that the body, using all its capabilities, “cannot cope” with the release of excess heat, heat stroke develops. Therefore, the likelihood of heat stroke is high in dogs with short, “flattened” faces (bulldogs, boxers, pugs), in the elderly, in pregnant women, in overweight animals, with diseases of the upper respiratory tract or lungs, or the cardiovascular system.

Any dog or cat can suffer from heatstroke if they are exposed to a lot of activity in hot, humid weather, and especially if they have thick, warm fur.

Most patients who come to veterinarian with heat stroke are animals left in a tightly closed car. Even on a cool day, in a car parked in the sun, the temperature can rise to 48° C within 20 minutes.

Heatstroke may be suspected if the animal has a very high fever, shortness of breath, high heart rate, redness of the mucous membranes, and it is known that it has overheated. The latter is very important. The fact is that similar symptoms can be observed in other diseases that occur with an increase in body temperature (fever), for example, in severe inflammatory processes, and the treatment in this case will be completely different.

If in case of heat stroke the animal needs to be cooled, and antipyretic drugs are ineffective and can cause harm, then in case of fever dangerous cool the animal without using antipyretics. Heatstroke may also cause vomiting and diarrhea, impaired consciousness, and convulsions. If shock develops, the temperature may drop and the mucous membranes may become pale.

Very high temperatures have a damaging effect on all organs of the animal, primarily the kidneys, nervous system, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. Blood clotting disorders may develop.

When the temperature rises to 43 degrees or higher, damage can become irreversible. Unfortunately, successful cooling of an injured dog to normal temperature does not guarantee recovery. Signs of severe complications may appear within 3 to 5 days after suffering heat stroke.

How to help?

If you suspect your pet has heatstroke (that is, you are sure that he is overheated!), you need to immediately begin cooling and urgently take him to the doctor. To cool the animal, you need to move it to a cool place, wet its fur with cold water, and apply cold compresses to the armpits and inner thighs.

It is very important to be careful and stop on time! Cooling too quickly and too much is no less dangerous than overheating. It is necessary to constantly monitor body temperature - not “by the nose”, but using a thermometer. It is necessary to reduce the temperature to 39.0 - 39.5 in 30 minutes - 1 hour and stop cooling. Even if you managed to reduce the temperature to normal, it is necessary to show the animal to a doctor, since severe complications may develop after heatstroke.

Like most illnesses in general, heatstroke is easier to prevent than to treat. Never leave your pets in a closed car in the sun. In the heat, it is better for animals, like people, to limit physical activity - shorten their walks, avoid long trips or play with a ball or stick in the sun. This is especially important if your friend is at risk. No victory at an exhibition or competition hunting dogs or sporting competitions is not worth the health and life of the animal.

Orlova Maria Eduardovna
anesthesiologist-resuscitator