[Ansteorra] XXX and Puppy Cats

Lady Caitrina Caitrina at starwarsguide.net
Thu Jul 9 05:45:16 PDT 2009


On the subject of our best friends.   

I belong to a dog related list, and the following just came across e-mail today.
I found it very informative.


Lady Caitrina Inghean Mhurchadha
Barony of Elfsea
Kingdom of Ansteorra


_____reposted from the dog scouts mailing list__________

Avoiding Heat Related Injuries in Dogs 
Nate Baxter DVM 

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 intravenous fluids and electrolytes 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 with the 
skin. 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 where 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 propylene 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. 

I purchased those cooling pads that you soak in cold water, 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 use 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 drug store 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. I cannot emphasis 
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 hydration until the temp has started down. A dog 
panting heavily taking in large amounts of water is a 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 effect 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 cool and dry before putting 
it up. I demonstrated this lesson this spring with my 10 monthold pup. 
After doing a 15 minute session in yard drill on a warm 70+ degree 
day, she was panting pretty hard and was pretty hot. She was OK but it 
was time to stop. Just for the heck of it I took her temp. She was 
103.6, above normal but too bad for a dog that had just finished 
working. In my back yard I have a 300 gallon Rubbermaid tub filled 
with water. I took her to it and she jumped in and out 3-4 times. She 
appeared totally improved, tongue was much smaller, and eyes brighter 
and her full spring was back into her step. So I re-took her temp and 
it was 104.2, so even though she looked better she was hotter. This is 
a perfect lesson to show not get a hot dog wet and then put them in a 
box. The water on her skin caused the blood vessels to constrict, 
decreasing blood flow to the skin. Therefore the hot blood was shunted 
back to the dog's core and retianed the heat. You may have felt the 
same thing, after exercising but still being very warm, take a shower 
and get cooled off but as soon as you turn the shower off you start 
sweating again. 

I know this is s 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 
blacklab at iac. net 


 

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