Thursday, August 20, 2009

I almost killed my dog

This is very serious. Yesterday C and I took the dogs to the park. It was a hot day, but we went late in the evening when it was cooling off. We took Kona's ball and were playing fetch with her. On the was home she started acting funny, she was laying down every few yards and then she started to drag her back legs a little. Her saliva was very thick and goopy. We went to our closest friends house and got water for her. By this point she was wobbling around showing a lack of coordination. I went home got the air conditioned car and we took her home and hosed her off. We are certain she had heat stroke. It was very scary.

Today Kona is at the vet for a check up and a hair cut.

Kona is only 2 years old. She is in good physical condition and she gets a lot of exercise. We think the heat and exercise was too much. Because she insists on carrying her ball she wasn't panting properly. Now she will be much more susceptible to heat stroke in the future.

Just wanted to warn everyone out there.

Here is some info on heat stroke: (from http://dog-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/signs_of_overheating_in_dogs):

Dog owners need to know the signs of overheating in dogs so that cooling measures can be taken quickly. Symptoms to watch for include:
Profuse and rapid panting
Bright red tongue
Thick drooling saliva
Wide eyes with a glassy look
Lack of coordination
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Coma

How to Cool an Overheated Dog
Working quickly to get the temperature down is imperative. Any of the following measures can help to cool the dog.
Place the dog in cool, but not cold, water
Take the dog to air conditioning
Sponge his head, tummy and area between the legs with cool water
Wet his tongue
Turn a fan on him
Offer small amounts of cool water to drink every few minutes if he is conscious
Care must be taken not to cool the dog too much. In some cases, the temperature can drop too quickly. Once the temperature has reached 104 F or 103 F, cooling efforts should be stopped.
Dogs who have overheated should be seen by a veterinarian to determine if they need further treatment.