Heat Stroke is a life threatening condition which can progress in minutes. Any dog can suffer heat stroke, if not managed sensibly during hot weather, but brachycephalic breeds, overweight dogs, older dogs especially those with pre-existing respiratory or heart disease are at increased risk.

The best approach to manage heat stroke is to take precautions to avoid it:

• DO NOT  exercise your dog during the hottest time of the day;
• DO NOT leave your dog locked in a car;
• DO make sure your dog has access to plenty of water;
• DO make sure your dog has access to shade;
• Exercise early in the morning, late in the day or even at night;
• Exercise in sheltered areas like woodland and/or by clean gentle running, swim safe water where they can cool themselves off (do not use bodies of water know to, or you suspect may, have blue green algae);
• For higher risk dogs especially, do not force them to exercise on hot days it may be more appropriate not to walk but just go outside for toilet breaks.
• Avoid situations that you know may cause your dog stress (which might mean rearranging a routine vet visit for another time!).

Early recognition of heat stroke and intervention could be the difference between life and death. Symptoms can start as continuous panting after exercise or removal from a hot environment, despite having had time to rest/recover, an affected dog may become lethargic and unwilling to move. If the heat stoke persists the dog may develop difficulty breathing, may start to hypersalivation, vomiting or diarrhoea. In more severe cases heat stroke dogs can develop neurological signs which may include seizures or coma, organ damage and bleeding disorders may also ensue, all of these things having the potential to lead to a fatal outcome.

Heat Stroke First Aid

• Remove the dog from the heat source - stop exercise, move to a cool place.
• Wet the dog with cool clean water (not iced cold). An alert dog who likes swimming or paddling may voluntarily go into a river, water trough or paddling pool, or allow themselves to be placed in a sink. Otherwise the dog can be hosed down or have water poured over their body, it is important to avoid soaking the dogs head especially if the patient is unconscious,
• Provide airflow either positioning the dog in a cool breezy area or turning a fan on them if you have one.
• Contact your vet, if the dog has not settled with the cooling processes described transport them to the surgery as soon as it is safe to do so.  Cool the car before transportation by either opening the windows open or turning on the air conditioning, continue to keep the car cool by either of these means during transportation.

If you are concerned your dog may be suffering from heat stroke do not hesitate to contact your vet practice for advice and/or emergency treatment.