Heat Stroke - another heads up

[Jennifer Tramell]

Last Thursday was a hot day here in middle Tennessee but I didn't realize HOW hot it felt to the dogs.  My 3 yr old nephew was over and he snuck out of the house to sit on the front porch.  This would be okay but he left the front door wide open and my 2 naughty dogs took that as an invitation to go for a run.  We live on 6 acres and are surrounded by a lot of open property on all sides, so my dogs look for every opportunity to sneak away for a run.  And when I say they go for a run - they go for a RUN!

 

I immediately went out to call for the dogs and they came back fairly quickly.  While I was getting the dogs settled, my daughter noticed that Webster was "walking crazy".  He was staggering around like he was recuperating from anesthesia or was drunk - obviously something was wrong.  I ran into the house, googled "dog heat stroke" and found that staggering is a sign.  I took his temperature and it reached 106 before I removed the thermometer and headed for the terrace.  The next several minutes were spent hosing him down with cool water and he slowly bounced back.  I stopped hosing once his temperature was 103, and continued to observe and record his temps until they were steady at 102.

 

Now, it didn't feel THAT hot to me outside.  They were only gone for 15-20 minutes.  Honestly, I was not worried about the dogs suffering from heat, I was annoyed that they had gone for a run (they had just been bathed and brushed!).  I don't know why I even thought "heat stroke" (especially since I was late for a playdate and trying to leave asap) but I did. 

 

Please make yourself aware of the symptoms of heat stroke.  Have a thermometer you can use to take your dog's temp - just in case.  Summer is just starting and it is our job to make sure our dogs stay safe and cool!

[F, Calla & Luca]

That is very scary. I would have thought the dogs would have stopped running and gone to some shade to cool down once they got hot. Luckily you caught this in time.

[Jennifer Tramell]

I think they might have taken a break, but I was out calling for them.  Instead of them stopping for a break, they probably turned around and ran back to me ( they run far and fast!).

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

What a great warning....thank you.  I'm so glad that Webster is okay....seems like you did exactly the right thing.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Thanks for the reminder!  Glad your Webster was okay.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Jennifer, Thank you so much for posting this. I would never have thought of it. You were quick to discern the trouble and take care of it. If dogs are anything like people he may take a while to fully recover. I'm so glad you were able to cool him down quickly. 

We all will be more aware because you posted this for us. 

[Gail and Bailey]

Thank you so much for the warning!  I never would have thought of this!  

So glad you caught it and cooled Webster down!  

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Thank you for sharing this. Great that you were so vigilant and realized what had happened in time, just goes to show you can't be too careful. 

[Leslie and Halas]

Close call!  Thanks for the reminder.  It's good to know the signs.  Sometimes, our doods don't know when to stop.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is a good reminder Jennifer, although it must have been very scary for you. 

[Jennifer Tramell]

It was scary after - during I just focused on taking care of him; however, It's been a stressful couple months with dog health :-0

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Thanks for the heads up Jennifer.  Living in Fresno our heat can be horrible!  I am so glad you quickly figured out what could be wrong and cooled Webster down.  Happy everything is ok now!  Honestly I would not think about heat stroke, thank you so  much!

[Seamus & Haidee]

Thanks Jennifer for posting the warning about heat stroke. Seamus often runs like a crazy wild dog in the dog park and then collapses under a tree and pants for a while.  Its a good reminder for us as summer approaches. It gets very hot and humid here in NYC so we have to keep walks short and stay in the shade with the ac;-)