Dr. Wes Borgman at the Fox 35 TV Studio talking about how pets can beat the heat this summer.
June 12, 2008--Lake Mary, FL
Our summer heat and humidity for the next four to five months is a
reality and along with this weather pattern come various risks,
hazards and challenges for pets and their owners. Pets are at risk of
potentially deadly heat exhaustion which can happen quickly. On a
day like today, a dog or cat, or child for that matter, could be
stressed to the point of physical illness just because of the heat.
A pet would last only for a short while in a parked car - this is true
even with the windows rolled partially down, the inside temperature of
a car can reach 120 to 160 degrees in just 30 minutes. A closed car
in the sun can reach deadly temperatures in just a few minutes and the
helpless occupants left inside will perish. The best advice I can
give is to never leave a pet, a child or an elderly or handicapped
person unattended in a car in the sun. Even if the AC is running,
mechanical failure (stalled engine, out of gas, etc) can and does
happen.
Remember not only are pets wearing a fur coat, but they have very
limited ways of cooling themselves, pets pant and that's about it.
Pets can quickly overheat even in your back yard. It is extremely
important to provide an outside pet with a few basic survival items in
this heat:
1) Shade - remember when tying out in the morning that area could be
full sun by the afternoon and that can be dangerous.
2) Water - leave a sprinkler on, ice cubes in the dog's water bowl
3) Air Circulation - a fan on the porch or near the dog's bed
4) When possible, bring them in
5) Cooling area - Many dogs dig cooling holes in the yard this time of
the year – That's normal.
6) Hose them down - Hose them down 2-3 times a day if you need to.
So how do you cool an overheated dog? 1st remove pet from hot
environment: (shade, indoors). Use Cool or room temperature water
(not ice cold) or cool water soaked towels, applied to the head and
abdomen can be very helpful. Cool drinking water should be supplied
and staying on a vinyl or tile floor in an air conditioned room should
do the trick. The larger the dog, the longer this may take.
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Watch for Signs of Hyperthermia:
Vigorous panting at rest.
Unwilling to rise.
Frothing from nose or mouth.
Rigid muscles.
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Dogs are unable to perspire (except through their footpads). They must
cool their body by panting! Panting is normal and very effective to
help cool the body but it has definite limitations. The normal
temperature of dogs is 101.5 degrees F. In the summer heat a dog's
temperature can often reach 102.5 to 103.5 F. If you see signs of
hyperthermia, or the body temperature gets over 103.5 F, we get
concerned and you should transport your pet to a veterinarian, there
is real danger of major organ collapse and brain damage. .
I have seen and treated many cases of heat stress and heat stroke.
Unfortunately I have seen many fatal ones. Sometimes it is from the
above mentioned closed and hot car but it can also occur from vigorous
exercise in the sun or from being left in a back yard with no shade or
water. This is definitely a case where prevention is the cure. Do
these preventive things, plus be aware of the signs of heat stroke and
get your pets to the doctor in time to save their life!
A few words about cats. Cats are considered to have desert origins
and consequently are much more heat resistant than dogs. They seldom
get heat exhaustion and stroke but can indeed perish from being
confined in a hot vehicle or building. A panting cat is usually in big
trouble! Usually a panting cat with open mouth breathing is in
cardio-pulmonary distress but it could be a case of heat exhaustion.
If an owner knows that it was in a hot environment, it would be
appropriate to try cool water to cool the body but in any case the
patient should be taken to the veterinarian as soon as possible. It
could be pneumonia, collapsed lungs or heart failure.