Don't Bank on Big Medicine: The Virtue of Specialty Hospitals
Heat Stress Injury Prevention + Care - VCA Specialty Animal Hospitals
Transcript of Heat Stress Injury Prevention + Care - VCA Specialty Animal Hospitals
VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists
Heat Stress Injury Prevention + Care
Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome:
• DogssuchasPugs,BostonTerriers,FrenchBulldogs,Pekingese,Boxers,English Bulldogs,andShihTzu’saredescribedas“brachycephalic”.Thewordmeans“short head”.Brachycephalicbreedsarecharacterizedbybrachycephalicrespiratory syndrome.Thissyndromeconsistsof4anatomicalchangesthatcanaffecttheir breathing.These dogs often pant very inefficiently, thus inefficiently cool themselves. • ThemostsusceptiblebreedtothesechangesistheEnglish Bulldog.Thesedogs shouldnotexerciseorbeactiveatallintheheat.Heatstresscanleadtoheat strokeandthiscanbefatal.
• Brachycephalicsareoftenmoresusceptibletotheeffectsofanesthesiaandare higheranestheticrisks.Surgerycanbeperformedtocorrecttheseanatomical changesindogsthatareclinicallyaffected.Notalldogsrequireorwouldbenefit fromthissurgery.
Prevention of Heat Stress Injury:
• Exerciseyourdogbefore8amandafter7pmonwarmerdays. • Avoideverleavingyourpetinthecarinwarmweather. •Brachycephalic breeds should not exercise (or spend time) in warm weather. • Ensurethatpetshaveaccesstowateratalltimes. • Usefans,airconditioningunits,etc.tokeeppetsindoorenvironmentcoolduring warmerdays. • Slowlyintroducedogstoexercisewhentheweatherabruptlychangesfrommildto warmertemperatures. • Provideshelter/shadeandwaterforalldogsthatliveoutside. • Keepyourdoginagoodbodycondition-overweightdogsaremorepronetoheat stressinjury. • Duringexercise,giveyourdogfrequentbreaksandfreeaccesstowater.
Forquestionsorguidance,ifyouareworriedthatyourpetmayhavesufferedfromheatstressinjury,pleasefeelfreetocalltheEmergencystaffat
VCA NWVS: 503-656-3999
Heatstroke/Heat Exhaustion
Normal body temp in dogs and cats: 100.5 - 102.5 F
Heat Exhaustionistheconditioncausedbyexposureofthebodytoexcessiveheat,es-peciallywhenananimalisexercisinginwarmtemperatures.Clinicalsignsthatyourdogissufferingfromheatexhaustioninclude:
• Excessive panting • Drinking large amounts of water
Heat Stroke:Whenadogisunabletodissipateexcessheat,heatexhaustioncanpro-ceedtoheatstroke.Heatstrokeoccurswhenadog’sbodytemperaturereaches105degreesForgreater.
Clinical signs of heat stroke include:
• Restlessness/Agitation • Heavy drooling with thick saliva • Bright red tongue/gums • Weakness • Vomiting • Diarrhea • Racing pulse • Limbs that are warm/hot to the touch • Disorientation • High body temperature (<105)
Dogsaremoresusceptibletorapidchangesinclimateconditionsandoverheatingthanhumans:theyareunabletosweat(exceptthroughglandsintheirfeet)andmustcoolthemselvesbypanting.Specificconditionsorsituationsthatputananimalatriskforoverheatinginclude:
• Dogswithshorterfacesandnoses(i.e.Boxers,Mastiffs,Pugs,Bulldogs)have shorterairwaysandaremoreinefficientatcoolingthemselves. • Dogswiththickhaircoats(i.e.theAkita,SiberianHusky,GermanShepherd)and darkhaircoats(i.e.BlackLabrador,Doberman)absorbandretainheateasily; therefore,haveamoredifficulttimedissipatingheat.
• Dogsthathaverecentlymovedtoawarmerclimateorarebeingexposedtoa dramaticchangeinweather. • Dogswhoaredehydrated,whoareoverexerted,orwhoareuntrained. • Dogswithunderlyingmedicalconditionssuchasheartdiseaseorobesity. • Dogsthathavehadapriorepisodeofheatstroke. • Catsarerarelyaffectedbyheatstressinjury.
First Aid Measures for Heat Stroke:
Optionsforcoolingmeasures:
• Gentlysprayorapplycoolortepidwatertotheaffecteddog.DONOTuseice water,icebathsorapplyicetoanoverheateddog.Theapplicationofextremely coldsubstancestoanoverheatedanimal’sbodycausesthebloodvesselsto constrict,thebloodtoflowmoreslowlyandlimitsoverallcooling.
• Applywet,cooltowelsalongthedog’schest,abdomen,betweenitslegsandaround theneck.EncourageanoverheateddogtodrinkbutDONOTforceanoverheated dogtodrinkwater.
• Keepanimalsw/heatstresscalmandremovethemfromdirectsun.Transportan overheateddogtoanair-conditionedbuildingorvehicle.Ifavailable,fansarevery effectiveindecreasingthetemperatureofanoverheateddog.Itisessentialthat animalsarecloselymonitoredwhenelectricaldevicesareinuse.
Oncecoolingmeasuresareinitiated,monitoradog’srectaltemperatureevery2-3min-utes.Oncethetemperaturehasdecreasedto103-104degreesF,discontinueactivecoolingmeasures.Ananimalthathassufferedfromheatstrokehasdifficultymaintaininganormaltemperatureduetodamagethathasbeendonetotheir“internalthermometer”andtheycaneasilybecomehypothermic.TransportthedogtoaveterinaryhospitalASAP:excessiveheatcancreatewidespreaddamagetoadog’sinternalorgansandtheearliersupportivecareisstarted,thebetterchancethereisforfullrecovery.Dogswhohavesufferedheatstrokecanhavecomplicationshourstodaysaftertheevent;thesedogsarealsomoresusceptibletovariationsintemperaturefortheremainderoftheirlives.