Strategies to Mitigate Summer Heat Stress in Dogs

Strategies to Mitigate Summer Heat Stress in Dogs

Dr. Amit,Canine Surgeon,Goa

As temperatures shoot all over the country, keeping our dogs cool, healthy and happy during summer becomes a priority for all of us pet parents. In general, there are some foods that are cooling, and some that have a heating effect on the body. It’s important to keep this in mind while giving your dog her food. When the temperature rises, your dog gets overheated owing to their thick coat. Heatstroke, dehydration, etc., are summer hazards that you need to protect your dog from.

The summer sun is beating down on us in full swing this year, and needless to say, we’re all a little more than frustrated. Whether it’s our fervent need for an air-conditioned ride to work, a burning desire for the cool indoors, or our sudden proclivity for practically camping out by the water cooler (sorry, co-workers!), our habits are decidedly altered during the summer.

Heat stroke is most common in the warm months, but can happen to your dog any time of year. It can also happen quite suddenly, so it’s important to know what to look out for. Hyperthermia in dogs occurs when panting is not enough, and their body temperature increases above 39°C. They become subject to the following types of heat-related illnesses, including heat stroke in dogs:

Heat stress: When dogs experience heat stress, they become very thirsty and pant rapidly. The dog is mentally aware and can move about, but is under stress from the heat. It’s important to cool the dog down immediately at this stage, to prevent heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

 

Heat stroke occurs when your pet’s internal temperature becomes dangerously high, generally about 106 degrees Fahrenheit.

It can be due to being locked in a hot car or over-exercising in a hot or humid environment. Either way, it leads to a cascade of very serious conditions that can result in brain damage, organ failure, and death. A chemical reaction occurs and actually breaks down the cells in your pet’s body.

What is heatstroke in pets?

Heatstroke, also known as overheating or heat exhaustion, occurs when your pet’s body temperature rises above the normal range of 100 to 102.2 degrees. Dogs and cats have few sweat glands and cannot cool off by sweating like humans, so they overheat more easily. Pets mainly cool off by panting, as moisture evaporation from the oral cavity helps lower body temperature. Heatstroke most commonly occurs when pets are left outside on hot days, but also can develop if:

• There is high humidity, even if the temperature is lower
• Your pet doesn’t take breaks from playing to cool off
• Your pet doesn’t have adequate access to water in warm temperatures
• Your pet is left in a closed-up house on a hot day with no ventilation or air conditioning
• Your pet is left inside a car, even if it does not seem hot outside

Heatstroke is a dangerous health condition that can cause death if warning signs are not recognized immediately.

What causes heat stroke in dogs?

The most common cause of heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses in dogs is: leaving a dog in a car with not enough air circulation. Since dogs release heat through panting, inadequate ventilation is enough to cause them to get overheated. Of course, elevated temperatures and humidity also cause heat stroke. Other factors that can lead to heat stroke include:

• being left outside without shade or water on a hot day
• vigorous exercise in hot weather
• confinement inside a poorly ventilated area, like a dog house
• the restricted airways of ‘smashed’ or flat-faced dogs – brachycephalic breeds are more likely to experience heat stroke even in moderate weather conditions
• long haired dog breeds are also more likely to face heat stroke
• wearing a muzzle
• infection causing fever²
• obesity
• young and old age in dogs

 

The Signs Of Heat Stroke In Dogs

The symptoms of heat stroke in dogs increase in severity the longer a dog goes without treatment and the longer they’re exposed to dangerous conditions.

Here are a few of the signs of heat stroke in dogs:

Signs and symptoms of heat stroke in dogs

Before a dog will suffer a heat stroke, they will become overheated. So it’s important to be an attentive dog parent, and to be able to recognize the signs of overheating in your dog, so you can take action immediately.

As heatstroke progresses, it can cause coma, and even death.

Signs and symptoms of overheating, heat stress, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke in dogs include:

• panting
• drooling
• increased thirst
• dehydration
• weakness, falling down
• dizziness
• confusion
• hyperventilating
• dry nose
• rapid or irregular heart rate
• diarrhea
• vomiting
• elevated body temperature – warm to touch
• dry, pale gums
• bright red tongue
• thick, sticky saliva
• changes in mental awareness
• production of only small amounts of urine or no urine
• blood in vomit or stool
• staggering
• muscle tremors
• shock
• seizures
• stoppage of the heart and breathing
• coma
• death

What to do if your dog gets heat stroke

If your dog gets heat stroke, it’s important to bring down their temperature immediately, but safely. Do NOT cool the dog down using ice cold water, as going from one extreme temperature to another can cause other life-threatening medical conditions. If your dog suffers from a heat stroke, follow the steps below to help them cool down:

• Remove them from the hot area immediately.
• If your dog is still conscious, let them drink as much cool water as possible. Adding a bit of salt to the water will help the dog replace the minerals it lost through panting. If the dog is unconscious, however, make sure no water enters the nose or mouth.
• Wet them with water, put them in the bath or shower if possible.
• Use a fan to increase air circulation around them and cool them off.
• Lay a wet towel on them.
• After cooling down your dog, call your vet or an emergency clinic, and take your pet there as quickly and safely as possible.
• While transporting your dog to the vet, continue lowering their temperature by placing cool, wet towels over the back of their neck.
• Keep the body temperature around 38.3°C to 39.2°C and stop the cooling when the right temperature is reached.

Even if your dog appears to be recovering from heat stroke, you should still bring him/her to the vet, since he may be dehydrated or have other complications.

Dogs also spend more energy in summers panting – in an effort to lower the body temperature. It is therefore important that they eat more during summer and if, their intake has reduced, they should be compensated by feeding energy-dense or nutritional-balanced pet food. Food choices play a key role in your dog’s life. Thus, food choices for your dog should be made keeping in mind the size, age, breed, and their nutritional requirement. Foods such as chicken, turkey, trout are warming and are hot for consumption in summers. Thus, it is crucial to pick and choose food for your dog’s diet in summers. Many pet owners tend to feed home-made diets like curds and rice during this time but both curd and rice contain more water (70-80%) than nutrition; they do not have adequate levels of energy, vitamins, minerals required by dogs to live a healthy life.
Here are a few guidelines that pet parents should follow in order to give their pets a healthy lifestyle during hot and humid climate:

Balanced Diet
Pets should be fed with a well-balanced and nutritionally-holistic diet as it confers protection against the effects of heat stress. Pet foods are enriched with natural antioxidants that helps to prevent oxidative stress and aids by coping up with heat stress.

How much is too much?
If possible, pets should be fed during cooler part of the day or the frequency of feeding should be increased – the required quantity of food in a day as per your doctor’s advise remains the same, but you decrease the portions and increase the number of meals.

Try out a mix of foods
Try different variety or combinations of foods. Mixing dry and wet food encourages pets to eat. For every one pouch of wet/gravy pouch, 20 grams of dry pet food quantity should be reduced. Parents can also try different flavours of the same food. Wet foods (gravy or cans) contain comparatively more water and thus can be used to maintain a healthy water balance, especially in small breed dogs,.

Monitor their vitals
Pets should be fed according to their body weight and condition. Keep them hydrated. Avoid exercises in the afternoon heat and stick to early morning or late afternoon walks.
These main points apart, make sure your pet doesn’t gulp food – they should chew it properly for better digestion.

It is absolutely normal if your pooch decides to eat less. Remember the golden word during summers is ‘frozen’.

This is the worst time of the year for both pets and their parents. A number of pets will limit eating proper meals during summers. So a happy-go-lucky Labrador who loves to eat his four meals a day may suddenly stop eating, sending his pet parents in a frenzy.

STOP! It is absolutely normal if your pooch decides to eat less. Summers mean less physical activity and hence less food intake. However, there are a number of treats that pet parents can make easily at home that may keep their pooch cool and also take the stress off their shoulders. Remember the golden word during summers is ‘frozen’.

Frozen chicken soup cubes: This is on the top of my list for most preferred items. Dogs love to play with ice and if the ice is flavoured with chicken, they devour it. Chick stock can be frozen in ice-trays along with some chicken pieces to get you frozen chicken cubes. These cubes can also be mixed with boiled rice and served as proper food.

Frozen fruit treats: Seasonal fruits like watermelon, muskmelon, apples, bananas, oranges and strawberries can make a great treat. The idea is to cut fruits into small pieces and freeze them together or separately. Do ensure that you remove all rinds, seeds and peels before feeding the treats to your dogs.

Chaas cubes (buttermilk): Nothing beats the good old buttermilk during the summer season. Buttermilk both in ice form as a liquid is fantastic for dogs. Do ensure that you do not add any extra spices to the buttermilk. In case you do not know how to make it at home, you can purchase readymade buttermilk from the market. There are many brands that sell plain buttermilk.

Cheese pops: Before I proceed; please note that some dogs are lactose intolerant, so as a pet parent you need to ensure that your canine child does not fall in the ‘no-milk’ category. Cheese pops are both fun and healthy. Mix some chicken and chicken stock with cheese and freeze them. You pooch will love you for the awesome treat.

Yogurt mix: Unsweetened yogurt mixed with fruits can also make a great snack. Try mixing yogurt with strawberries and watermelon (without seeds) and serve them frozen to your canine child. This mixture is a good source of anti-oxidants.

Banana-Peanut buster mix: Mash banana and mix with all natural peanut butter. You can use this mixture as a stuffing for your dog’s kong toy or simply freeze it in ice-cube trays to make delicious peanut butter treats.

If you do want to make something sweet for your canine child; use honey. Honey in little quantities is good for dogs. Remember not to overdo anything, including the treats. For those you seek a treat for themselves, most of these treats can be consumed by humans…infact all of them.

With the onset of summer, it is important to know what is good and safe to feed your dogs. While we don’t want to change their daily meals, we do have the opportunity to be able to give them some fresh home-made treats which will cool them down. We all know that dogs have a higher internal body temperature than us humans and hence, it is important that we tweak their diets in the summer months so as to avoid them feeling too hot. A higher core temperature will result in hair loss in patches, dehydration and panting.

Some key food elements to avoid in summer are mutton, beef (buffalo meat) and egg yolks. While some pet parents feed their dogs mangoes, they are to be avoided too. Some food elements which are good for your dogs in summer are chicken, egg white, curd, cucumber, cauliflower and brown rice.Here are  some recipes that you can make at home and treat your dog with during these hot months:

Wash and clean the bones thoroughly.

Do not remove the marrow.

Boil the bones with the mint in a pressure cooked for four to five whistles.

Let it cool and remove any marrow and meat and leave it in the soup.

After you make the broth, you can serve this in multiple ways;

a. Chilled — as a soup in the summer months

b. Frozen — keep 1 ice cube tray and make ice of the broth and serve it after your dog comes back from a walk.

Boil and puree the liver.

Whisk the curd until smooth.

Mix the liver and the curd till blended well.

Portion this out into 5 small bowls/containers and freeze.

You can replace the liver with blended raw bananas, mashed sweet potato also. This is to be served frozen as an ice cream

What to Do if Your Dog Is Overheated

At the first sign of overheating, immediately take action to cool down your dog. We recommends the following steps to treat heat exhaustion in dogs:

1. Immediately move your dog to a cooler area, either indoors where there is air conditioning or in the shade under a fan.
2. Use a rectal thermometer to check his temperature. Heat exhaustion typically occurs when a dog’s temperature falls between 103 and 106 degrees. A temperature above 106 places him at risk for heat stroke. If he’s in the danger zone, call your veterinarian.
3. If you’re near a body of fresh water, such as a lake or a baby pool, let your dog take a dip to cool down. Otherwise, you can use cool, wet cloths or towels to help him out. Place your cool wet cloths on his neck, armpits, and between his hind legs, and you can also gently wet his ears and paw pads with cool water.
4. If he’s conscious and willing to drink, give him cool, fresh water. Don’t force it, however, as it may end up in his lungs. If he can’t or won’t drink, or can’t keep water down, wet his tongue with water instead. Don’t feed him ice cubes, which could cause his temperature to drop too quickly, leading to shock.
5. Get him to the vet. If you haven’t already done so, call ahead so they can be ready to take immediate action as soon as you arrive.

Avoiding Heat Exhaustion in Dogs

Of course, the best cure is prevention. You can help keep your pooch from overheating with some basic safety practices. These include limiting exercise or outdoor activity on excessively hot or humid days, providing plenty of shade and water when your dog is outdoors, and never, under any circumstances, leaving your pet in a parked car—not even in the shade with the windows rolled down. On mild days with temperatures in the 70s, the inside of a parked car can reach 120 degrees in minutes, making this an extremely dangerous environment to leave your dog, even for a short time.

If your pooch has energy to burn and needs some form of exercise in order to stay calm, take him swimming or let him run and play in the sprinkler before heading back indoors. You can also use a cooling body wrap or vest to help keep him cool without getting him wet. And if your dog has long hair or a thick coat, consider getting him a short haircut to get through the hot months—just be sure to leave enough fur to protect his skin from the sun.

Additionally, if you take your dog on long walks it might be better to take him during the cooler hours of the day such as early in the morning or later in the evening (keep in mind hot sidewalks and pavement can burn his footpads). Be sure to keep water with you and let him take a break every once in a while. If you run with your dog make sure to not overdo it. Just as hotter temperatures make it harder for you to stay hydrated on a nice run, it’s even more true for your pup.

If you’ll be hunting or hiking with your dog, or if he has a job to do such as herding sheep or cattle, be sure to give your dog several breaks in the shade and make sure he has plenty of fresh water. Consider wetting him down or using a cooling vest while he’s active, and keep a close watch on him for the first signs of overheating. Remember that working dogs tend to become so focused on their tasks that they don’t realize when they need to rest and cool down. It’s up to you to monitor your dog and make sure he gets the breaks he needs to stay healthy.

Finally, don’t forget to put a plan in place for keeping your dog cool if the power goes out or the air conditioner stops working. As uncomfortable as you might be under such conditions, it’s even worse for your dog, whose body temperature is already much higher than yours. If you plan to retreat to someplace cooler, be sure he’ll also be welcome. Otherwise, consider leaving him at a kennel until it’s safe for him to return home to cooler conditions.

Ways to prevent heatstroke

Consider the possibility of heatstroke any time the temperature is above 80 degrees or humidity is high, and take these precautions to keep your pet cool:

• Never leave your pet unsupervised outside on hot days. While you are away, keep your pet indoors with air conditioning.
• While outside, ensure your pet has access to fresh water, shade, and shelter away from direct sunlight.
• Take your daily walk or jog in the morning, before temperatures reach dangerous levels.
• Never leave your pet alone in a parked car. Heat quickly builds to deadly levels in a closed car, even on sunny days that aren’t hot.
• On hot days, keep brachycephalic breeds, elderly and obese pets, and those with heart or lung disease inside your air-conditioned home except for short outdoor bathroom breaks.

How to keep dogs cool in summer

Due to it’s high temperatures, summer is the season where the risk of heat stroke in dogs is the highest. To keep your dog cool and safe in hot weather conditions, consider these tips:

• Encourage your dog to stay in the shade, out of direct sunlight.
• Provide your dog with multiple bowls of water, and add ice cubes in case of very hot weather.
• Give your dog damp towels, a cooling mat, or cold tile for them to lie on.
• Let your dog play in a cool water bath, small pool or body of water, if that’s possible. Many dog breeds love swimming and being in the water. Wetting down your dog with cool water or allowing him to swim can help maintain a normal, healthy body temperature. Don’t forget to bring a waterproof gps tracker for safety!
• Turn on the sprinkler in your garden and let them play in it.
• Try new games, which don’t involve too much physical activity – like puzzle feeder toys or hiding treats.
• Use dog-sunscreen if necessary.
• Give your dog frozen dog treats .
• Exercise caution when using a muzzle – these can make panting, and thus cooling themselves down, more difficult for the dog.
• https://www.pashudhanpraharee.com/care-management-of-heat-stroke-in-dogs/