Heatstroke in Dogs: The Signs, and What To Do in the First Five Minutes

Heatstroke in Dogs: The Signs, and What To Do in the First Five Minutes

Heatstroke kills dogs in Australia every summer, and it moves faster than most owners expect. A dog can go from panting heavily to collapse in under half an hour.

The single most important thing to know is this: if you think your dog has heatstroke, start cooling them immediately, before you get in the car. That advice has changed in recent years, and it is the opposite of what many owners were told a decade ago.

The Signs, in the Order They Appear

Early

• Heavy, frantic panting that does not settle when they stop moving
• Bright red gums and tongue
• Thick, ropey drool
• Restlessness, or seeking out cool surfaces like tiles or dirt
• Slowing down, lagging behind on a walk

Emergency

• Staggering, wobbling or unsteady legs
• Vomiting or diarrhoea, sometimes with blood
• Gums turning pale, grey or blue
• Glazed eyes, confusion, not responding to their name
• Collapse, seizure or loss of consciousness

If you are seeing anything in the second list, this is a life-threatening emergency. Act now and read the rest later.

What To Do: Cool First, Transport Second

Research from the Royal Veterinary College changed the standard advice here. Owners were once told to cool a dog slowly with tepid water, or to drive straight to the vet. Both cost time, and time is what causes the organ damage.

1. Get them out of the heat

Shade, indoors, air conditioning, anywhere cooler. Stop all activity immediately.

2. Get cold water on them straight away

Any water cooler than the dog is useful, and you do not need to worry about it being too cold. For a young, otherwise healthy dog, immersion in cold water is the fastest and most effective method available to you: a bath, a laundry tub, a shell pool, a dam, the ocean.

If immersion is not possible, or your dog is elderly or has existing health problems, pour cold water over them continuously and get air moving across the wet coat with a fan, an open car window or air conditioning. Evaporation does the work.

Cover the whole body. The neck, armpits, groin and belly shed heat fastest.

3. Ring your vet while you cool

Put them on speaker. Tell them you are cooling and on your way. They will prepare for your arrival, which matters more than the few minutes you would save by leaving immediately.

4. Keep cooling on the way

Wet coat, windows down or air conditioning on full. Do not stop cooling because the car ride has started.

Three Things Not To Do

Do not drape wet towels over them. This is the most common mistake and it is close to useless. A wet towel laid over a dog traps heat against the body rather than releasing it. Royal Veterinary College research found more than half of cooled dogs were treated this way. Pour water on instead, or get them into it.

Do not wait to see if they settle. Every minute at an elevated core temperature does more damage. There is no downside to cooling a dog who turns out to be fine.

Do not assume they are out of danger because they perked up. Heatstroke causes internal damage that can present hours later, including clotting problems, kidney injury and swelling on the brain. A dog who looks recovered still needs to be seen.

Which Dogs Are Most at Risk

• Flat faced breeds. Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Pugs and Boxers cannot pant efficiently. They are heavily over represented in heatstroke cases and can get into trouble on a day other dogs cope with easily.
• Overweight dogs and thick double coats. Both hold heat.
• Elderly dogs, very young puppies, and any dog with heart or airway disease.
• Fit, high drive dogs. Kelpies, Border Collies and working breeds will chase a ball well past the point of sense. Exertional heatstroke on a mild day is common precisely because the owner did not think it was hot enough to matter.

Preventing It

Walk early or late. Not mid morning, and not late afternoon when the ground is still radiating. Press the back of your hand to the footpath and hold it for seven seconds. If you cannot, it is too hot for paws.

Watch the humidity, not just the temperature. Panting cools a dog by evaporating moisture. In humid coastal conditions that mechanism works far less well, so a humid 28 degrees can be more dangerous than a dry 35.

Never leave a dog in a parked car. Not with the windows down, not for five minutes, not in shade. The interior climbs past 40 degrees within minutes on a warm Australian day.

Shade and water, always. Shade that moves with the sun, and more water than you think they need.

Cut the exercise back before you think you need to. A dog will not stop on their own.

If your dog swims to cool off, our guide to introducing your dog to the pool covers doing it safely, and the beach dog guide covers rinsing salt and sand out afterwards.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is cold water really safe? I was told it causes shock.

That advice is outdated. Current veterinary guidance is that water cooler than the dog is beneficial, and that cold water immersion is the most effective cooling method for a young, healthy dog. The risk of delaying cooling is far greater than any theoretical risk from the water being cold.

Should I give my dog ice cubes or ice water?

Small amounts of cool water to drink are fine if they are conscious and able to swallow. Do not force water into a dog who is disoriented or collapsed. Ice cubes are not dangerous to give a dog, contrary to a widely repeated myth, but eating ice is not an effective way to cool a body down. Getting water onto the outside of the dog is what matters.

What temperature is too hot to walk a dog in Australia?

There is no single number, because humidity, breed, age and fitness all change the answer. As a working rule, take real care above 24 degrees for a flat faced or elderly dog, and above 28 for a healthy adult. The footpath test is more reliable than the forecast.

My dog seems completely fine now. Do I still need a vet?

Yes. Delayed complications are the reason heatstroke has a high mortality rate even in dogs who initially appear to recover. Get them checked the same day.

How long does heatstroke take to develop?

It can be minutes. A dog left in a car, or one running hard on a humid day, can reach a dangerous core temperature very quickly. It is not something that builds slowly over an afternoon.

This guide is general information for Australian dog owners and is not a substitute for veterinary advice. If you suspect heatstroke, cool your dog and contact your vet or your nearest emergency animal hospital immediately.