Heatstroke is common: dogs often overheat during hot sunny spells in the summer months. Tens of thousands of dogs suffer from this every year in the UK. While preventing heat stroke is the best approach, it’s important that owners also know what to do if their dog has become overheated.
Heatstroke is not as simple as it seems: treating heatstroke is not necessarily just a case of cooling a hot dog down, problem sorted. There are many possible complications linked to an overheated body, so follow-up veterinary care is essential to minimise any risk.
Heatstroke is a serious condition: affected dogs can’t always be saved, and many die despite the best efforts of owners and vets.
First aid by owners can be lifesaving
While treatment by vets for dogs with heatstroke is important, the first aid steps taken by an owner are equally critical. In one study, only 38% of dogs died when cooled by the owner, compared to 61% that died if taken to the vet without being cooled by their owner first. The cooling needs to be done carefully for optimal effect: it isn’t just a case of chucking a bucket of cold water over an overheated dog.
Seven key steps to treat an overheated dog
Telephone your vet so to arrange for your dog to be seen as an emergency
Take your dog away from the heat source into a cool environment
Cool your pet down quickly in the correct way
Use lukewarm water: cold water or ice will cause constriction of the superficial blood vessels in the skin, which paradoxically may result in a reduced ability for the dog to lose body heat through convection.
As well as standing the dog in water, or hosing down with water, cover the animal with towels soaked in lukewarm water
Place the damp dog in an airstream of some kind to maximise heat loss by convection and radiation e.g. vets often use standing fans to help to cool dogs down.
For owners in practice when dealing with an overheated pet, this may mean pouring buckets of water or a hose over a dog, then draping them with soaked towels while driving them to the vet, with the car windows partially open to create a breeze
