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A "dog blog" about all breeds and issues of importance to people who value the dogs in their lives, with a special emphasis on Search and Rescue dogs, in particular the training of my Newfoundland Dogs

Saturday, June 16, 2007

'tis the season for HEATSTROKE

yes, dogs, as well as people can suffer heatstroke! symptoms are:
# Rapid breathing
# Dry mouth and nose
# Rapid heart rate
# Dull, greyish-pink, or red gums
HIGH TEMPERATURE OVER 104
THIS IS AN EMERGENCY

Immediate priority is to lower the dogs body temperature. Use ice water, ice from the freezer, bags of frozen veggies, get the water/ice/frozen stuff under the arms, on the groin, pads of feet,etc. immersing the dog in a cool body of water, tolling him over and dumping buckets of water on him......anything to get that temperature down FAST.

Check the temperature every couple of minutes. If you do not have the dogs temperature lowered within 15 minutes, it may be too late, and the dog will have suffered permanent damage to major organs or to the brain.