UV rays and Dogs

[MajesticCollies]

Going to be a very hot and sunny week this week. Make sure you protect your babies from the sun

[binka_nugget]

LOL What a looker!

Gosh Tim, your Collies are just so breathtaking. I came really close to getting a Collie for my second (and third) dog.. but decided on a Sheltie and Belgian instead. Still looking forward to one day owning a gorgeous Collie.

[sparks19]

LOL cute pic. I wish Teddy would keep sunglasses on lol

[Riptide]

Awwww cute picture!

[zoey]

What a cool dog! Yes. I'll keep Daisy in the shade muchly this week.

[Love That Collie]

LOL Tim, Steele looks just too cool
What??? Where's his cool, summer, alcohol-free Margurita?
Oh AND the remote for the T.V?

[gardengirl]

Hi all. I'm a new member and by coincidence just received permission to cross post this great article on taking care of your dogs in extreme heat like we've been having. Here it is:

Avoiding Heat Related Injuries in Dogs
Nate Baxter DVM

Feel free to cross post, use in club newsletters, etc,
without any further permission.

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 IV 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. 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 were
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 isopropyl 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.

UPDATE NOTE-alcohol has fallen out of favor with ER
specialists, use it only as a last ditch effort if nothing else works.

I purchased those cooling pads, 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 drugstore 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. Icannot emphasize 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 dehydration until the temp has started down.
A dog panting heavily taking in large amounts of water is at 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 affect 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 cooland dry before putting it up.

I know this is a 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