Overheating Question

[IAMs]

We took Maya and Gwen out for a play date at a friend's house last night around 7:00pm. They've got 12 acres of fenced in land filled with trees, and the pups always enjoy visiting their pupper friends and having fun together. Maya was muzzled and playing with her soccer ball for about 10 or 15 minutes. She drank some water, laid down in the grass to rest for a bit, and then hopped up and joined us on our walk to the back of the acreage.

 

Towards the back of the acreage, Maya started stumbling and walking in a pretty clumsy way. We checked her out, and she was overheating. My wife ran up the 12 acres to get our Jeep and some water in a large bucket. I picked Maya up and carried her halfway, where I met my wife in the Jeep. We poured the water on Maya's sides, using our hands to spread the water to her belly and chest. After a full bucket of water, we put her in the Jeep and took her up to a garden hose so we could do a better job cooling her down. After 5 or 10 minutes with the hose, she was doing much better.

 

My wife said that, when we were checking Maya out at the back of the acreage, she noticed Maya's tongue was slightly swollen. We're thinking that's a sign of overheating. She seems to remember there are other signs - swollen gums, bright pink/red ears, and something with their eyes.

 

So ... praying that it never happens again, what are the signs to look for, and what is the best way to handle overheating? What should we have done had the bucket and hose not worked... perhaps the bathtub with running cool water?

 

Please don't post any flames. We're not here to be made to feel guilty. We're looking for other people's experiences and perhaps a vet's perspective.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

-IAMs

 

PS - Maya's doing great now. She slept like a log last night, and was ready to go for a morning walk at 7:00am this morning!

[msjpk]

So glad your Maya is ol- I know Lou suffers from the heat but we haven't experienced overheating.

[Guest LynnM]

Running water- a river or creek or the hose- over the neck, armpits and groin (where major blood vessels are relatively close to the surface). If the dog is able, allow small, frequent sips of water (or Stress-Dex type thing). Get the dog in the shade and keep her there (or an air conditioned vehicle).

 

If the dog goes down or if his temp is just out of control (had a dog hit 108 once when sick with something else and he was fine in the end. Who'd have thunk it!?), get him/her wet, toss him in the car, put the a/c on and haul tail to the e-vet. If you're doing seriously strenuous exercise someplace that is a long, long way from a clinic, consider learning how to place a catheter, run IV fluids and the dosages for Solu-Delta.

 

Glad your hound is okay!

[Guest sheila]

This is what I found:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cl...;articleid=1683

http://personal.uncc.edu/jvanoate/k9/heat.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_2072208_treat-overheated-dog.html

 

All of them seem to have conflicting ideas though. One says use cold water, one says avoid cold water, one says use ice cubes and another says NOT to use ice. One says give the dog water, another says to only give small amts of water etc.

If it was me I would find a balance in the middle and wet the dog down with tepid water (or at least water that is not ice cold) allow for limited but frequent drinks of water along treks (kind of like you or I would grab a swig here and there) Perhaps carrying a cool down pack would be a good idea.

[Guest ilovegreys]

So glad to hear Maya is ok. The adoption group where we got Dixon recommend hosing down the dog's feet to cool them off quickly.

 

The heat during the summer is SO frustrating!

[Chicocat]

Listen to LynnM.

 

ilovegreys, hosing the feet isn't enough. You really have to do as Lynn describes to do any good.

 

IAMs, I'm really glad she recovered easily.

[Guest LynnM]

It's true that dogs can sweat through their feet, but this does almost nothing for them in the way of evaporative cooling- it isn't much more than another method of scent dispersal. By running cool (room temperature) water over the dog around the neck, armpits and groin, it allows the dog's circulatory system to be used like the radiator of a car.

 

I haven't read all the websites, but I can't imagine anyone saying that it would be a good idea for a dog (or overheated person) to drink large amounts of liquid during heat stress. This would be particularly true for a large, deep chested breed, due to a risk of bloat (stress and heavy exercise also increase bloat risk, both of which are usually present when a dog overheats).

 

Acclimatizing the dog (preventive care) is the best insurance. Keep the dog hydrated. Wet the food down if he isn't a big drinker. Plan short workouts during the heat of the day so that he IS used to functioning in the heat. If the dog spends lots of time outdoors, offer lots of shade, water buckets, kiddie pools, etc, and make sure that the dog can/will use them. If you have a dog that LIKES the water, encourage it. A dog that willingly cools itself is a VERY good thing.

 

Lynn

[Guest KennelMom]

Listen to LynnM.

 

 

Glad Maya is ok!

[Guest ilovegreys]

Thanks for the helpful comments on cooling an overheated dog. As a relatively new grey owner, it's great to get more advice than given from the adoption agency.

[ahicks51]

I was an EMT for about ten years, and a volunteer firefighter- including in East Texas and New Mexico- and my rule of thumb has always been that the worse it gets, the colder the water should be. Ice and really cold water will cause vasoconstriction in the skin, reducing the amount of cooled blood getting back to the core. But if it's bad enough that the animal is so overheated that the next step is unconsciousness or death, then to heck it with it- crash cooling is required before the ol' proteins start denaturing and the animal starts to die.

 

The one part I tend to focus on is the "undercarriage" between the rear legs. There's little to no hair there, and two wonderful arteries (you can palpate them when they roach- they should be about the size of pencils and because of the high blood pressure in greys, they will be very firm) feed those hypertrophic thigh muscles. Get the hose up under there first, and flick back to it now and again while getting the thorax, the legs, the neck, and eventually the back. You want that water to sop up the heat, and then get flushed away with a new pulse of water. Careful about not getting any water in the face or mouth; if panting heavily, they might get some water down into the throat (all it takes is a drop) and you can get coughing and laryngospasm.

 

If in the shower, sit on the side of the tub and get a knee under the "tuck" in case they collapse- one knee under the body, and the opposite hand under the neck or head, or holding the martingale.

[Chicocat]

Thanks for the helpful comments on cooling an overheated dog. As a relatively new grey owner, it's great to get more advice than given from the adoption agency.

 

I think through this experience, you have also learned that it doesn't take a lot for Maya to overheat. These dogs aren't all alike for sure when it comes to endurance. There was another thread on here recently where we were talking about dogs that became overheated from just a short time playing with toys (outside). It's something you don't really expect.

 

There is so much to learn with your first greyhound...and so much to enjoy!

Edited September 10, 2007 by Chicocat

[Guest grey_dreams]

To avoid overheating during exercise in a hot climate, you may want to check out the Outward Hound Cool-It Cooling Bandannas. They are filled with polymer crystals that absorb water - so just soak it for 30 min, then put in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before use. It retains cool temperature for a long time, so keeps the arteries in the neck cool, so helps to maintain whole body temperature and avoid overheating.

[Guest whatahound]

IAMS, thanks so much for the question. That's information that we all need to be reminded of. Sunday morning we took Nikki and Ace for a two mile walk, it was very early so we thought it was okay. By the end of the walk Nikki really slowed down and even stopped. In hind sight it was just too much for them.

[NeylasMom]

There was another thread on here recently where we were talking about dogs that became overheated from just a short time playing with toys (outside). It's something you don't really expect.

 

That was me. Search for 'Zuri' - there are two threads on his overheating episodes. My best advice, don't exercise Maya where you won't have access to cold running water now that you know she may be prone to overheating, and carry a digital thermometer with you. You want to cool the dog until the temp reaches around 103, then stop. There is a risk that the temp will drop too low otherwise. You can see some other suggestions in my last thread for things to keep on hand - we'll be making a "first aid" kit for our car.

 

As far as what to look for, Zuri gets very lethargic (can barely walk or stand and doesn't react to me calling him), his eyes start squinting closed and his gums get bright red, plus of course a ton of heavy panting.

 

I know what you went through, it's extremely scary, and you did the right thing by getting cold water on her immediately. I think doing so saved Zuri's life, the same is probably true for Maya.

[SAVED2]

Too many dogs die from the heat , so we dont take ours out in the heat.

[Guest meandmygreys]

Bonnie did this last year when my A/C quit...I did the only thing I could do..I dunked her in the horse tank..It saved her life..She was fine afterward..cooled her off immediately..It was'nt ice cold but it lowered her body temp..

 

Good thinking !!

[MP_the4pack]

It won't hurt to get her checked by a vet either. To make sure no permanent damage was done.

 

Also, once they've have had a problem, they seem more likely to have it again.

 

But you done good otherwise!

 

 

[Guest FordRacingRon]

I would commend you for knowing the problem and doing your best to take care of your pup. I have read about these before and your initila idea of cooling off in a tub was used by some others here on greytalk, which have not chimed in as of yet. From what I know you did fine, butjust as in humans, no intake of large amounts of water, the real issue is bringing down the core temp. For us, Liea won't do anything if it gets over 80 so we never have had to deal with this.