In this pamphlet… What is dehydration? What is Heat Stroke?

Symptoms of Heat Stroke

What to do if it occurs

Prevention tips

Daily water requirements

Water and hydration facts

About this pamphlet Pamphlet and facts gathered by

Jennifer Dorrell. Dedicated to

my dog Adonis whose short

life steered me towards im-

proving the quality of life for

your pet. This pamphlet was

created to raise awareness

about the severity of heat re-

lated illnesses. To serve as a

guide for good intentioned pet

owners who may not know

how sensitive animals really

are to heat. After reading this

information you should feel

confident in recognizing the

signs of heat stroke and know

what to do in case of an emer-

gency.

Coupled with other factors heat

stroke can begin just after 15

minutes, once body tempera-

ture has risen and if action is

not taken to cool the animal.

Your pet can die or have per-

manent injuries if action is

not taken quickly. If animal

neglect is the primary cause, it

is a felony in most states of

America with jail time, fines

and the privilege to own a pet

up to 15 years or more can be

taken away.

What is dehydration? Dehydration is excess loss of body fluids.

It involves loss of water and electrolytes

(which are sodium, chloride and potas-

sium). During illness, dehydration may be

due to inadequate fluid intake. Fever in-

creases the loss of water. This becomes

significant if the dog does not drink enough

to offset it. Other common causes of dehy-

dration are prolonged vomiting and diar-

rhea. If your dog is noticeably dehydrated

he should receive veterinary attention fast.

Treatment is directed at replacing fluids to

prevent further losses. The treatment of

dehydration in infant puppies is an ex-

tremely critical medical condition, in

which all responsible dog breeders should

already know how to administer treatment

in case of an emergency. Source: Dog Owners Home

Veterinary Handbook by Delbert G. Carlson & James Griffin MD

He is your fr iend, your p artner, your defender, your dog — You are his l i fe,

his love, his leader.— He wil l b e yours, Faithful and true, to the last b eat of

his heart .— You owe it to him to b e worthy of such devot ion. -Anonymous

What is Heatstroke and what happens to the body? When your pet gets overheated, blood is

sent to the outside layers of the body in

order to deal with extreme temperatures.

This may lead to intestinal organs not get-

ting enough blood flow and chemical im-

balances occur in the body. As the pet’s

temperature rises to above 106° degrees,

the cells in the body begin to break down,

and permanent nerve damage as well as

internal organ breakdown occurs. Source:

www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=375

When the body becomes unable to control

its temperature blood is unable to clot

properly, risking damage to the major or-

gans which are the kidney, brain, lungs that

can result in death. Which can also cause

petechiae. It appears as a red dotted rash or

pinpoints of blood on the skin. This can

require plasma transfusions and blood

transfusions, survival rate can be very low. Source: VSCD Animal Hospital

If you would like to contact me: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/AdonisWalk

6. If going to the store, never leave your

pet unattended inside the car or in a truck bed. Even if you’re gone a short period of time, the temperature inside a parked car can quickly reach 140 degrees with or with-out the windows open. At least try to bring

another person with you, to stay with the dog. Keep the car running with the a/c on, be sure to apply the emergency break.

9. Dogs are ―sprinters‖ they are not

meant to go for long runs or jogs with you. Learn more about EIC, Exercise Induced Collapse. The definition of sprint is to run or go at top speed espe-cially for a short distance. You might

say ―well my dog always comes jog-ging with me, he seems fine.‖ You must remember that you are his leader and he will follow you out of loyalty. He’s not going to tap you on the shoul-der and tell you stop, he will just col-lapse. And be wary of EIC with agility training.

7. Make sure outside dogs have shelter from

direct sun, and access to shade and water at all times. Let your dog dig in the dirt! The upper 10 feet below ground level almost everywhere across the planet stays the same temperature between 50-60 degrees. This

can offer much relief to your dog on a hot day. Dogs in nature dig their dens not out of frustration but to find food, hide food, and give birth or keep cool

8. Wetting down your dog or allowing him

to swim can help maintain a normal body temperature. A kiddie pool or lawn sprin-klers can also help keep them cool.

10. When you are thirsty you may

feel sleepy too, it is just your body's way of saying it needs water. Dark urine (can have strong odor), dry lips, dry throat, sunken eyes, dry eyes (can have a discharge with strong odor),

hoarse sounding voice (or a change in the sound of your dogs bark), are all subtle signs that water is needed.

11. Wash and your pet's water bowl

with dish soap. Slimy bacteria build up in the bowl, your pet could smell this and find it unappetizing and your pet might drink less.

12. Learn how to take your pet's rectal

temperature. Talk to your veterinarian about how to do these things. Did you know a dog's normal temperature is between 100.5 - 102.5? And each dog will have a ―normal range‖ just like

you may have a normal range. You might consistently be 98.9, your dog 101.5 – knowing what is normal will help you determine when something isn’t normal, faster.

16.Monitor the consistency of your pets

bowel movements if will give you insight as to what’s going on with your pet. Call your vet upon diarrhea. If no bowel movement at all or is very dry and lumpy this could indicate consti-

pation which can be caused by chronic dehydration.

17. Look for clever ways you can add

water to the diet by adding water to the dry food and mix well. Can food has high water content. There’s fun treats like doggie ice pops, and real pet ice cream. There’s electrolyte powder made by Nupro that you add to water.

18. ―Puppy proof‖ your home to pre-

vent your pet from eating harmful things, don’t use drop-in toilet bowel sanitizers Puppy proof outdoors as well get to know every tree and bush in your yard to determine if they’re

poisonous. Stop putting pesticides on the lawn where they spend their time. For weed control do it naturally by using things like boiling water, sugar, urine, vinegar, salt, apply in the ground where the weed lived.

13. Do not muzzle your dog, or let a

groomer muzzle a dog while using a doggie dryer.

14. Keep a "pet emergency first aid

kit" see www.aspca.org or red-cross.org

15. There will be power outages and

a/c units do break. Move your dog to a cool area, like an unfinished basement floor. Or until the outages are fixed sit

in an air conditioned car, go to a friends house or a police station. Even rent a pet friendly motel room like Motel 6.

19. Limit time on beaches and pavements the

heat is very concentrated an animals paw pads

will absorb the heat, raising it’s body tempera-

ture. Did you know the U.V. rays can reflect off these surfaces and cause sunburn on the

animals underside? Try to walk on cool sur-faces like dirt and grass. If you are at the

beach, remember salt water can make animals

and people very sick if drank. Invest in dog collars or harnesses without shiny metal mate-

rial so it doesn’t attract the sun.

23. What if your car broke down on a hot day

and you had your pet with you? Be sure to travel with a bowl and a jug of water. And prior to go-ing on long travels with your pet, make a list of phone numbers and addresses to emergency vet-erinary offices in the area where you're going to be traveling to and through. An easy way to do

this is by going to Google Maps, type in the city and state. Then look in the middle of your screen where it says get directions then click on the blue hyperlink "Search nearby:" Type in ―24 hour animal hospital‖ or ―emergency veterinary‖ and then browse the list, write down the information or program it into your GPS, repeat for each new city. We cannot dial 911 for our furry loved ones

but we can sure be prepared by knowing whom to call no matter where we are!

20. A good rule to remember is if you are hot,

your pet is even hotter than you are! Remem-

ber when it’s humid the relative temperature is

much higher. So if it’s 90 degrees with 60 percent humidity it feels like 100 degrees.

Source http://www.almanac.com/weathercenter/heathumidity.php

21. Acclimation is key! For example living in

air conditioning then exposed to hot weather all

of a sudden, is stressful to the body. Extreme temperature change is a shock to our body. The body perceives this as a stress. Your body will try to adapt but it needs a slower acclimation to hot or cold. Research on ―how to acclimate to changes in temperature‖.

22. To provide a cooler environment, freeze

water in soda bottles or heavy duty food storage bags, then stuff in a tube sock. Place them on the floor near where your pet likes to lay down. Su-pervise in case your dog likes to chew! Also lay wet towels on the floor near a blowing fan.

1.The best prevention of heat stroke is

simple: pay attention to daily tempera-tures, even a typical cool month can have heat waves. Early walks between 5:30 a.m. -7:00 a.m. is a great time before the sun gets a chance to heat up the ground.

On hot days, between the hours of 9:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. limit potty breaks to 5-10 minutes then immediately bring your pet back indoors. Forecast for pets: www.weather.com/activities/homeandgarden/pets

2. If your dog is a survivor of heat

stroke, he will be sensitive to heat for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, a pet can pass away only one to two years later if he does survive heat stroke. You must understand that the heat has dam-

aged the major organs. This is a medical term known as sequela. So a personal theory of mine is that repeated events of overheating may shorten their lifespan .

3. Although any normal healthy pet or per-

son can get heat stroke, more so are un-healthy pets and people. In hot humid weather extra caution is advised for pets and people with heart disease, kidney disease, alcoholism, adrenal gland disorders, obesity,

heavy fur coats, breathing problems, if tak-ing medications, or other medical conditions. Young puppies and babies and senior pets and older people need assistance from you to either keep them cool or warm. In the young, the body has not developed it’s thermoregu-latory system; in the old the body starts to lose how it regulates hot and cold tempera-

tures. Even mild activity can be harmful.

4. A spray bottle on a walk works well; get

your dog accustomed to drinking from it. Put your pets name on it so you know that it’s his bottle. Air dry between uses. Pet stores now carry special water bottles with attached bowls for walks too, as well as ―cooling

vests‖ they can wear.

5. Provide a water bowl inside and outside

your house. During mosquito season mos-

quito’s lay eggs in water, mosquito larvae can give a dog heartworms. Be sure to change the water a few times or more per day.

Not all veterinary offices are open 24 hours. Here are three places with overnight care:

VCA Animal Hospital 1360 Marrows Rd. Newark De 737-8100

VSCD (near Banning Park) 1212 E Newport Pike Wilm. De 691-3647

Dover Veterinary Hospital 1151 S Governors Ave Dover De 674-1515

Did You Know

Did you know you should begin to hydrate yourself and your pet well, before, the day of an event or a walk outside? And of course hydrate during and after the activ-ity as well. By the time you are dry mouthed and thirsty you are dehydrated. (You can’t make your pet drink extra the day before but adding an electrolyte powder like Nupro to the water can help, ask your vet or pet store about it.)

Most veterinarian offices note that they dread the summer months. They see a lot of pets with heat injuries such as sunburn and heat exhaustion. Which correlates to the lack of knowledge people have about heat related illnesses. Learn more about pet insurance: www.petinsurance.com

What are the signs of heat-stroke in people? In people, the early symptoms of heat illness

include: Profuse sweating, Fatigue, Thirst, Muscle

cramps

Later symptoms of heat exhaustion include: Headache, Dizziness and light-headedness, Weak-

ness, Nausea and vomiting, Cool moist skin, Dark

urine.

The symptoms of heatstroke include: Fever

(temperature above 104°F), Irrational behavior,

Extreme confusion, Dry hot and red skin, Rapid

shallow breathing, Rapid weak pulse, Seizures,

Unconsciousness

First Aid: Have the person lie down in a cool

place. Elevate the person's feet about 12 inches.

Apply cool, wet cloths (or cool water directly) to

the person's skin and use a fan to lower body tem-

perature. Place cold compresses on the person's

neck, groin, and armpits. If alert, give the person

beverages to sip (such as Gatorade), or make a

salted drink by adding a teaspoon of salt per quart

of water. Give a half cup every 15 minutes. Cool

water will do if salt beverages are not available.

Call 911 upon the above symptoms of heat-

stroke. Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/

article/000056.htm - Also: www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/extreme heat_guide.asp

What are the signs of heatstroke in a dog? (List includes

classis signs in the left column, with a variety of other symptoms with short definition.)

Increased

Heart Rate

In other

words …..

Rapid heartbeat

which can be felt

on chest behind

front leg.

1 Pets are inca-pable of sweat-ing they pant to exchange hot air

for cool air.

Body temperature

rises / Rectal

temperature is

104º and can be

much higher.

Excessive

Panting

In other

words …..

2 Rapid Frantic

Breathing / Short

Fast Shallow

Breathing

3 Constant pant-

ing/Tongue may

be thick looking

on the sides.

Not able to retract

tongue very well

(hanging out alot)

Wobbly leg’s In other

words …..

Shaky legs, weak-

ness; blood sugar

is falling.

Not able to hold

himself up very

well / unsteady

gait

Muscles on legs

can twitch (can be

seen and felt)

Increased

Salivation

In other

words …..

Thick sticky

saliva

Sticky gluey

drool from sides

of mouth

White ropey sa-

liva on tongue

Bright red

tongue

Also could

include …..

Red gums , red tongue

*Pale light color indicates late stage of distress.

Pale color is a sign of shock. Get immediate medi-cal attention .

Glazed eyes

“lethargic”

In other

words …..

Not interested in listening to you.

A glazed blank facial expression or anxious ex-pression

Doesn’t respond to his name / Is just ―staring‖

Depression

“lethargic”

In other

words …..

Decline in attitude Gloominess / Sadness

Low energy/tired / exhausted

Collapsing In other

words …..

Cannot get up on his own / someone will need to pick up the animal, will

feel limp.

Fumbling /just wants to lay down

Lack of coordina-tion / Animal may look alert but this is an emergency

situation.

Vomiting ,

Diarrhea,

Unconscious,

Coma, Death

Vomiting with blood some-times. Instant diarrhea can

gush out like urine, with or without blood.

1 Keep in mind that darker color coats absorb more heat than lighter

colored coats.

2 An animal in a hot car may act frantic and hy-per, even throw

themselves at the door trying to escape. Source:

SPCA

3 Not only do

dogs pant, cats,

horses and rabbits

can too.

What to do when a dog gets heat stroke?

Go to the nearest open emergency veterinary office, and if you can, prior to tak-

ing the dog, administer cooling efforts (below) as fast as possible. And call the

veterinary office before you arrive, and prepare them that you are bringing an

overheated dog.

First Aid: Remove the dog from the hot area immediately, move the animal into

shade, or air-conditioned area. Prior to taking him to your veterinarian, lower his

temperature by wetting him thoroughly with cool water 2 (for very small dogs,

use lukewarm water), then increase air movement around him with a fan. You

can also apply wet towels, ice packs or bags of frozen vegetables to the belly,

legs, chest, neck, head for a few minutes then take temperature. The rectal tem-

perature should be checked every 5 minutes 1. Also per the Dog owners home

veterinary handbook, If the temperature is over 104 degrees or is unsteady on his

feet he should be cooled by immersing him in a tub of cool water, take him out

of the water, check the temperature, alternating in this pattern, repeat as neces-

sary. Be careful, however, as using very cold water can actually be counterpro-

ductive. CAUTION: Cooling too quickly and especially allowing his body tem-

perature to become too low can cause other life-threatening medical conditions.

Once the body temperature is 103 º F, the cooling measures should be stopped

and the dog should be dried thoroughly and covered so he does not continue to

lose heat. Even if the dog appears to be recovering, take him to your veterinar-

ian as soon as possible, he should still be examined since he may be dehydrated

or have other complications. Allow free access to water if the dog can drink on

his own, or lick on very small ice chips. Do not give ice cubes. Do not try to

force-feed water; the dog may inhale it and could choke.

1If the temperature is allowed to go unchecked, the dog becomes unsteady and

staggers, he has diarrhea, which can be bloody. Diarrhea will make him become

weak really fast. Coma and death ensue. Emergency measures must begin at

once. Source: Dog owners home veterinary handbook by Delbert G Carlson DVM & James Griffin MD

2Keep up with brushings as the dog sheds during and prior to warm weather.

For double coated dogs like Chow Chows and Keeshonds use a slicker brush,

pin brush, or thinning shears to remove loose fir and debris. You should be able

to brush through the entire coat with relative ease. Dogs with long thick coats

keep the fur free of tangled matted sections. If your pet’s coat is matted and

knotty you may want to use an electric shaver to clip off just these areas, leaving

about an inch of fur or so. (Use baby sunscreen on exposed skin until fur grows

back!) If you don’t remove the matted fur the heat can’t escape. Thus, wetting

down a matted coat the heat still can’t really escape! If you’re ever in a situation

where heat exhaustion presents itself , you have to work twice as hard in cooling

your pet if the fur isn’t groomed, so do not delay grooming. Your dog will

appreciate the brushings as it relaxes them and they will sigh of relief, as this

helps them maintain a stable body temperature.

Daily water requirements for dogs Below is a ―dog daily wa-

ter requirement‖ calculator found at: www.mycockerspaniel.com/h2o.htm —

Measure the water you give your pet to familiarize how much he drinks on a

daily basis. Just keep that mug filled and Fido’s bowl filled always!

10 lbs. 349 ml or 1 cups & 4 oz 20 lbs. 586 ml or 2 cups & 4 oz

30 lbs. 795 ml or 3 cups & 3 oz

40 lbs. 986 ml or 4 cups & 1 oz

50 lbs. 1166 ml or 4 cups & 7 oz

Since diarrhea can lead to dehydration in people & pets, one common cause is from switching brands of foods to fast or eating new foods you’ve never eaten before. Even switching formulas within the same brand (from puppy to adult) can cause it too. Purina recommends reducing 10% of old food, and replace with 10% of new food over a 10 day pe-riod. Watch for diarrhea and mucous in the stool over the next 24 hours. If it occurs call your vet, be prepared to feed a bland diet to settle the stomach down. Once diarrhea clears up, start over from the beginning, by reducing 10% of the old food and replace with 10% new. Feed your pet the same time each day, fluctuating feedings causes unex-pected bathroom habits.

If you have a dog that doesn’t really drink a lot of water, do not take him for long over exertive walks. For each day he does not drink enough water, over a pe-riod time he is becoming more dehydrated, like a slow long term water debt. As a result, this makes him quickly vulnerable to heat stroke. He will show symp-toms faster than a normally hy-drated animal. Whatever the reason for not drinking enough whether it’s: fear, tooth / tongue pain, dislike, timid, reflection in the water bowl, jaw muscle nerve pain, misaligned jaw (water can dribble back out after drinking), always consult your vet to rule out a medical condi-tion, even ask for an electrolyte test to measure hydration levels. If your dog is timid around water seek a behaviorist for help. Never lose your patience with your pet, don’t get angry or yell. Never chase your dog. Reinforce confidence by rewarding any progress with lots of praise and treats. Never stop working with him to overcome their fear.

Daily water requirements for people? http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm Tip: Don’t stress out about it! Just learn to listen to your body's signal for water!

Did you know that worldwide, dehydration caused by diarrhea is the leading cause of death in children? Because of their small body weights and high turnover of water and electrolytes. *Source: Mayo

Clinic

Did you know you should never scare a newborn puppy with loud sounds while drinking? This can create a fear of water. Hold off on giving baths the first month home with your new puppy. Research on the internet ―puppy’s first bath‖ and see the many ways to make a positive experience with water and your pet.