Avoiding Heat Related Injuries in Dogs

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 IV 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. 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 conditioningon (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 air flow. 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 were 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 emergencies. 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 isopropyl 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.

UPDATE NOTE: Alcohol has fallen out of favor with ER specialists, use it onlyas a last ditch effort if nothing else works.

I purchased those cooling pads, 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 drugstore I have found to be very unreliable. Don't forget to shake it down completely each time, sounds silly, but when you 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 can not 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 and they can bloat. Once the temp is going down and panting has slowed to more normal panting, then allow water. The dog will rehydrate itself 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 know this is a 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

***This is an article that Dr. Baxter wrote a few years ago, he checked it over and it should still be pretty accurate.

Feel free to cross post, use in club newsletters, etc, without any further permission.

Feeding Dogs Raw in Durham?

I used to be a distributor for Oma's Raw Foods until I moved to Durham and where I live currently - a tractor trailer can not access my place... so I thought there might be others that would like to know about my "secret stash" of suppliers in the Triangle area. Today, I will be listing a few places in Durham. The prices I list are for today and not guaranteed.

Cliff’s Meat Market
(919)942-2196
Carrboro, NC

marrow bones: $0.49 -$0.59/lb
leg quarters: $13/40lbs
chicken necks - 40lb case - $0.29 per lb
chicken backs - 40lb case - $0.29 per lb
turkey necks - 30lb case - $0.39 per lb
(he charges $8 per case to grind any of these meats, and will split a case half and half)

Tom Inscoe Wholesale Meat
(919) 544-1250
4130 S Alston Ave
Durham, NC

turkey necks: $17.70/30lbs
pork necks: $20.70/30lbs
chicken necks: $0.39/lb
chicken leg quarters: $0.39/lb
They also have whole chickens, chicken feet, chicken livers, chicken gizards, pig ears, tails, ribs, feet and lots of other stuff.

National Dog Bite Prevention Week

We are smack dab in the middle of the National Dog Bite Prevention Week - May 21st through May 27th.

An estimated 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs each year, with 800,000 individuals—half of them children—requiring medical treatment.

Man and woman's best friend bites more than 4.7 million people a year, and key experts believe that public education can help prevent these bites. The third full week of May is National Dog Bite Prevention Week, and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the United States Postal Service, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are each working to educate Americans about dog bite prevention.

Each year, 800,000 Americans seek medical attention for dog bites; half of these are children. Of those injured, 386,000 require treatment in an emergency department and about a dozen die. The rate of dog bite-related injuries is highest for children ages 5 to 9 years, and the rate decreases as children age. Almost two thirds of injuries among children ages four years and younger are to the head or neck region. Injury rates in children are significantly higher for boys than for girls. (See CDC MMWR article.)

CDC is committed to reducing this public health problem by working with state health departments to establish dog bite prevention programs and by tracking and reporting trends on U.S. dog bite injuries. Dog bites are a largely preventable public health problem, and adults and children can learn to reduce their chances of being bitten.

Things to Consider Before You Get a Dog:

• Consult with a professional (e.g., veterinarian, animal behaviorist, or responsible breeder) to learn about suitable breeds of dogs for your household.
• Dogs with histories of aggression are inappropriate in households with children.
• Be sensitive to cues that a child is fearful or apprehensive about a dog and, if so, delay acquiring a dog.
• Spend time with a dog before buying or adopting it. Use caution when bringing a dog into the home of an infant or toddler.
• Spay/neuter virtually all dogs (this frequently reduces aggressive tendencies).
• Never leave infants or young children alone with any dog.
• Do not play aggressive games with your dog (e.g., wrestling).
• Properly socialize and train any dog entering the household. Teach the dog submissive behaviors (e.g., rolling over to expose abdomen and relinquishing food without growling).
• Immediately seek professional advice (e.g., from veterinarians, animal behaviorists, or responsible breeders) if the dog develops aggressive or undesirable behaviors.
  
  Preventing Dog Bites:
• Teach children basic safety around dogs and review regularly:
• Do not approach an unfamiliar dog.
• Do not run from a dog and scream.
• Remain motionless (e.g., "be still like a tree") when approached by an unfamiliar dog.
• If knocked over by a dog, roll into a ball and lie still (e.g., "be still like a log").
• Do not play with a dog unless supervised by an adult.
• Immediately report stray dogs or dogs displaying unusual behavior to an adult.
• Avoid direct eye contact with a dog.
• Do not disturb a dog who is sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies.
• Do not pet a dog without allowing it to see and sniff you first.
• If bitten, immediately report the bite to an adult.
  

A CDC study on fatal dog bites lists the breeds involved in fatal attacks over 20 years (Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998). It does not identify specific breeds that are most likely to bite or kill, and thus is not appropriate for policy-making decisions related to the topic.

Each year, 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs. These bites result in approximately 12 fatalities; about 0.0002 percent of the total number of people bitten. These relatively few fatalities offer the only available information about breeds involved in dog bites. There is currently no accurate way to identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and consequently no measure to determine which breeds are more likely to bite or kill.

Many practical alternatives to breed-specific policies exist and hold promise for preventing dog bites. For prevention ideas and model policies for control of dangerous dogs, please see the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Task Force on Canine Aggression and Human-Canine Interactions: A community approach to dog bite prevention.

Free Food

Known as the Coupon Queen in my other lives, I have to share this one with all the doggy folks!

Purina is offering a 30 day trial with free food (4 lb bag - hopefully you have a small dog) of their Purina One food in an offer to entice folks over to their product. I do have to put in a disclaimer, that this is also good for cat food. :-))

Now I fed Purina for years, ProPlan, and my dogs loved it. I collected weight circles and got coupons back from Purina. I have no complaints with them. I just happened to change to a raw diet and a different kind of back up kibble that was more natural (Blue Buffalo).

Would I feed Purina again? Most likely.

Do I like free? You betcha!

Another good thing about Purina, they have loads of info on their site that can benefit both the experienced and the novice dog owner. Check out their A-Z Library.

Release the Hounds

When: Saturday, June 10 2006 @ 10:00 AM EDT - 02:00PM

Where: Dog Park at Oakwood Park, Raleigh, NC

This is an educational event celebrating the new dog park at Oakwood Park.

Join in the fun and learn more about the dog park and area services for dogs. The Raleigh Police Department will be onsite for a demonstration as well as pet vendors, vets, pet sitters, groomers and more! Participate in contests with your dog, register for door prizes and treat your fur-baby to free party gifts. Refreshments will be available at the event compliments of the City of Raleigh.

AnimalAid

AnimalAid is UAN's relief program animals affected by personal disasters such as house fire, domestic violence situation, or the death of a family member due to accident. Grants are also available to families recovering from tragedies related to large-scale natural or manmade disasters.

Who Qualifies?

• Any companion animal who has been orphaned due to personal, natural or manmade disaster. (This includes any animal who has lost one caregiver and may still have other caring family members.)
• Any companion animal who was directly injured or affected by a personal, natural or manmade disaster.
• Any animals involved in the rescue and recovery efforts during a natural or manmade disaster (e.g, search and rescue dogs).
• The disaster giving rise to the need for aid must have occurred within one week of the request for aid.

Type of Aid Available:

• Assistance in placing the animal in foster or permanent adoptive homes through our nationwide network of trained Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS) volunteers.
• Transportation for the animal (either with our volunteers or by covering the costs of airline or other transport).
• Financial assistance of up to $500 per family to cover expenses for the animals including (but not limited to):
• veterinary care (to include spay/neuter in conjunction with other care)
• kennel boarding arrangements
• food, medications or other supplies

An online application is available on the United Animal Nations (UAN) website.

While I may not agree with everything they stand for, I can't ignore all the good they do for famlies and pets in need.

I like to keep the blogs pretty short, but make them each specific so a search engine will find them. I am ever so hopeful that someone besides me reads this stuff.

Ticks

Did you know there are over 850 species of ticks?

Gross, gross, prehistoric, disgusting things.

Ticks are notorious vectors for transmitting disease, some lethal. One disease that has really come to the forefront in the last decade is Lyme Disease. This is a disease that can affect both humans and animals.

Typical symptoms and signs for Lyme Disease are:

• Fatigue
• Chills and fever
• Headache
• Muscle and joint pain
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Characteristic skin rash, called erythema migrans

Erythema migrans (EM) is a red circular patch at the site of the tick bite that appears usually within 3 days to 1 month after the bite of an infected tick. But be careful, you will not always have this last symptom, nor does it mean you have Lyme Disease if you do have this rash. But express caution and see a doctor.

One of the best articles I have seen on How to Remove a Tick is on About.com. Simple and clearly written, it might be something you should print off and keep in your kitchen drawer.

Ticks come in all colors and an excellent photo display of ticks is located on the University of Nebraska website.

If you do find a tick on a person, and want to have it tested, here is a list of testing laboratories along with some suggestions on how to keep your yard tick free.