Water Dogs - and Prevention / Care of Overheating Dogs in Summer

Today when I got home from work, it was not sunny but it was very humid. We played ball and frisbee as usual, and they were all hot. I filled their pool with fresh cold water and it became the place to hang out. It is a goofy video, but shows you how much they love access to cool water. Caden, who was raised by the BCs, also jumps in.



My crazy, happy dogs...



TEXT of messages regarding care of overheating dogs is below.

----- Original Message ----- (and more tips below...)


Permission to Cross Post
Avoiding Heat Related Injuries in Dogs
by Nate Baxter DVM

The first thing that needs to be understood is that dogs and people are
different enough that most of the info cannot cross lines. I do not profess
to know what the appropriate procedures for people other than what I learned
in first aid.

Dogs do not lose enough electrolytes thru exercise to make a difference, but
if the dog gets truly into heat stroke the physiology changes will make them
necessary. BUT oral replacement at that point is futile, they need
intravenous fluids and electrolytes and lots of it.

Cooling: Evaporative cooling is the most efficient mean of cooling.
However, in a muggy environment, the moisture will not evaporate so cooling
does not happen well. I cool with the coldest water I can find and will use
ice depending on the situation. The best way is to run water over the dog,
so there is always fresh water in contact with the skin. When you immerse a
dog in a tub, the water trapped in the hair coat will get warm next to the
dog, and act as an insulator against the cool water and cooling stops. If
you can run water over the dog and place it in front of a fan that is the
best. Misting the dog with water will only help if you are in a dry
environment or in front of a fan. Just getting the dog wet is not the point,
you want the water to be cool itself, or to evaporate.

For MOST situations all you will need to do is get the dog in a cooler
environment, ie shade, or in the cab of the truck with the air conditioning
on (driving around so the truck does not overheat and the AC is more
efficient). Up to a couple of years ago, I was very concerned about my dogs
getting too hot in the back of my black pickup with a black cap. New white
truck fixed a lot of that problem. When I had one dog I just pulled the wire
crate out of the car and put it in some shade and hopefully a breeze. But
having 2 dogs and running from one stake to another, that was not feasible.

So I built a platform to put the wire crates on, this raises the dog up in
the truck box where the air flow is better. Then I placed a 3 speed box fan
in front blowing on the dogs with a foot of space to allow better airflow. I
purchased a power inverter that connects to the battery and allows the
3 speed fan to run from the truck power. It has an automatic feature that
prevents it from draining the battery. When I turned that fan on medium I
would find that the dogs where asleep, breathing slowly and appeared very
relaxed and comfortable in a matter of 20 minutes or less, even on very hot
muggy days.

Alcohol: I do carry it for emergiencies. It is very effective at cooling due
to the rapid evaporation. It should be used when other methods are not
working. You should be on your way to the veterinarian before you get to
this point. We recommend using rubbing alcohol, which is propylene alcohol,
not ethyl, for those of you not aware. So do not try to drink it. Alcohol
should be used on the pads and lower feet area where there is little more
than skin and blood vessels over the bones. Use a little bit and let it
evaporate, you can use too much as some is absorbed through the skin. There
are concerns about toxicity, but you have to get the temperature down.

I purchased those cooling pads that you soak in cold water, but found that
the dogs would not lay on them. I would hold them on the back of a dog that
just worked to get a quick cool, but have not used them for years. I also
bought a pair of battery operated fans but found them pretty useless. Spend
your money on the power inverter and get a real fan.

Watching temperature: If you feel your dog is in danger of heat injury,
check its temp and write it down. Keep checking the temp every 3 minutes. I
recommend to get a "rectal glass thermometer. The digital ones for the drug
store I have found to be very unreliable, Don't forget to shake it down
completely each time, sounds silly, but when are worried about your
companion, things tend to get mixed up. This is VERY IMPORTANT**once the
temp STARTS to drop, STOP ALL COOLING EFFORTS. The cooling process will
continue even though you have stopped. If the temp starts at 106.5, and then
next time it drops to 105.5, stop cooling the dog, dry it off, and continue
monitoring. You will be amazed how it continues to go down. If you do not
stop until the temp is 102, the temp will drop way too low. I cannot
emphasis this point enough.

When the dog is so heated that it is panting severely, only let it have a
few laps of water. Water in the stomach does not cool the dog, you just need
to keep the mouth wet so the panting is more effective.

Do not worry about hydration until the temp has started down. A dog panting
heavily taking in large amounts of water is a risk of bloat.

Due to the heavy panting they will swallow air, mixed with a large amount of
water they can bloat. Once the temp is going down and panting has slowed to
more normal panting then allow water. The dog will rehydrate it self after
temp is normal. If the dog has a serious problem and even though you have
gotten the temp normal, get the dog to a vet, as it can still need IV fluids
and some medication. Also, a case of heat stroke can induce a case of
hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (not parvo), with a ton of very bloody diarrhea
and a lot of fluid and electrolyte loss. These cases need aggressive
treatment.

The best method of treatment is prevention. Learn to watch your dog, and see
the changes in the size of the tongue, and how quickly it goes down. Learn
your dogs response to the different environments, and be careful when you
head south for an early season hunt test or trial. I have been to Nashville
at the end of May, only 5 hours away, but the difference in temp and
humidity did effect the dogs as they were used to more spring weather in
Ohio. Try different things in training to help the dog cool and learn what
works better. Another very important point=> Do not swim your hot dog to
cool it then put in put in a box/ tight crate. Remember, evaporation can not
take place in a tight space, and the box will turn into a sauna and you will
cook your dog.

Carry a stake out chain, and let the dog cool and dry before putting it up.
I demonstrated this lesson this spring with my 10 month old pup.
After doing a 15 minute session in yard drill on a warm 70+ degree day, she
was panting pretty hard and was pretty hot. She was OK but it was time to
stop. Just for the heck of it I took her temp. She was 103.6, above normal
but too bad for a dog that had just finished working. In my back yard I have
a 300 gallon Rubbermaid tub filled with water. I took her to it and she
jumped in and out 3-4 times. She appeared totally improved, tongue was much
smaller, and eyes brighter and her full spring was back into her step. So I
re-took her temp and it was 104.2, so even though she looked better she was
hotter. This is a perfect lesson to show the importance of not getting a
hot dog wet and then putting them in a box. The water on her skin caused the blood vessels to constrict,
decreasing blood flow to the skin. Therefore the hot blood was shunted back
to the dog's core and retained the heat. You may have felt the same thing,
after exercising--but still being very warm--take a shower and get
cooled off.

As soon as you turn the shower off you start sweating again.
I know this is s bit long, but hopefully this is easy to understand and
helps provide some useful information.

Remember: Prevention. Learn your dog. It is worth the time and effort.
____________ ______

Nate Baxter, DVM
Lebanon, OH


MORE TIPS (CONDENSED FROM THE CHAT LISTS)

- Ensure the dogs are acclimatized and conditioned for the work we ask of them
- Importance of grooming for health benefits
- NOT always seeing water or a break as a positive thing (some dogs will
learn to use that to their advantage – handlers too); learning what is needed
when; and when you can ask a dog to work through something safely
- Teaching dogs to work in a smart way – not burning physical and mental
energy (I have been doing that with my River since moving to Alberta as she is a
long-coat, older and not used to the dry weather – it took a year to change
some of her habits for the better; which were MY BAD as I let her do them in
training, not having urban experience)

- Consider the timing of your training / testing…if possible do your
more complex, long tracks early or late, they are harder on the dogs than a 7
minute TD or even a 20 minute UTD. Not all clubs can do this, but offering UTDX
or TDX before the lower levels – or doing them in the evening – for summer
tests, definitely has its advantages for the dogs and possibly the pass rates
compared to doing them at high noon.

A big mistake many people make is to grab the dogs muzzle and pour electrolyte

down its throat, which is drowning the dog. When a dog is "hot" is one thing, but if it is
breathing heavily and pointing its nose skyward it needs cooling air down the
throat.. For what seems a long time it needs lots of air by breathing heavily.
Getting it to water to cool it off is mandatory.

The old addage is that: - rolling of the eyes, and stagers are a sure sign

that your dog is overheated ,( at this point make sure that you can get your dog
to a water source to cool off) humid /hot weather when the humidex is very high
creates problems with humans and animals alike ........ look for the color of the tongue and other mucus membranes. There is also a stare to look for

Dogs not used to working in heat and are not acclimatized will have more

problems the first time asked to work in heat or humidity

It seems like a spray bottle in the hip-pack is a good idea. And perhaps
something clubs might consider is having a 'dog' emergency kit in the car of one
of the test officials. Better yet, everyone should have one. I bought a dog kit
from St. John Ambulance for less than $50 and always have it on hand for my
classes (have never had to use it though, thankfully). It just travels in my dog
trailer now.