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Ways To Protect Your Dog From
Heat Stroke & Exhaustion
It’s been a long time that you and your pet have restored enough of energy by
staying in the cozy environment throughout winters. How good it may feel to
wake with the rays of the sun and kick start your day with a bright sunny
morning? Summer is the best time to be out and enjoy all that the season has to
offer. However, as the temperature heats up, it is crucial to remember that dogs
are vulnerable to illness and injuries caused due to scorching hot weather.
Excessive sun exposure can cause sunburn, footpad burns and heat stroke in
dogs. As every pain has a cure, similarly considering heat stroke treatment is
the key to cure and protect dogs from this dangerous misery.
This season is all about moving out of the house to experience summer
chills, picnics, swimming, running or hikes with your pet. All you need to
ensure is to keep your pup protected from overheating and heat stroke.
To be aware of the dangers, let’s know more about it.

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Physical Symptoms of Exhaustion & Heat Stroke in Dogs
For us, sweating out excess body heat is the way to regulate our body
temperature. Unlike humans, dogs don’t sweat out excess heat as few heat
glands are located in their paws that do not contribute much to regulate
their body temperature. Heat stroke in dogs is the gnarly disease that can
cause seizures, brain damage, blindness, organ failure, and convulsions.
Heat exhaustion is the early stage of heat stroke that occurs when the dog’s
normal mechanism cannot keep body temperature in the safe range. Dogs
don’t sweat but they pant. Panting is a method of cooling by the means of
evaporation of water from internal body surfaces used by dogs. They do this
by open-mouthed rapid breathing.
Have heed on your dog when he’s excessively panting or indicates other
signs of discomfort that causes overheating. According to the American
Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation, the excess loss of body fluids leads
to dehydration. A dehydrated dog can be observed with signs such as
sunken eyes, dry mouth, gums, and nose.
What Causes Heatstroke in Dogs?
▪ Summers and hotness is an inseparable couple that goes for lunch by
extracting energy from the earth residents. The scorching heat and warmer
environment cause heatstroke in dogs. Moreover, the problem is serious for
older and overweight dogs as they are more liable to develop heat
exhaustion.
▪ There are many factors responsible for causing heatstroke in dogs but the
commonest among them is the carelessness of pet-owners. This includes
forgetting to provide enough water to the pet or leaving a dog in the car or
taking him out unprotected in the fiery sun.
▪ Dogs with short noses, thick fur, suffering from medical conditions such as
heart disease, obesity, and older age are more susceptible to the victim of
heat stroke. Dogs are indefatigable creatures. They find joy in doing
exercise or play around. But, when you notice your dog is antsy and
trudging when you take him to the countryside, it’s time to take immediate
care of your pooch.

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Treating Heat Stroke In Dogs
▪ An imperative step to solve a problem is to recognize that there exists one.
Therefore, the first step is to recognize the heat stroke symptoms in your
dog. If you find any or many then immediately treat him by applying these
tips.
▪ The moment you feel feverish and use a thermometer to check your body
temperature, similarly checking the temperature is the best way to assess
your dog’s internal temperature. Have a digital rectal thermometer and
note down your dog’s body temperature in order to communicate it to a
veterinarian.
▪ When you identify the heart stroke symptoms in your dog, immediately
remove him from the heat and move him indoors or shaded areas outside.
▪ Give your pooch fresh drinking water. Ensure not to force him to drink
water if he refuses to drink. You can wet his tongue with water. Prioritize to
wet his extremities such as head, paws, and tail.
▪ You can also rub alcohol on the pads of your dog’s paws as it will help to
draw a certain amount of heat out.
▪ Wiping your dog down with cool towels will help to soak the heat. You can
place the dog on the floor tile and have a fan blown over him.
What Can A Pet-Parent Do To Prevent Heat Stroke
Dangers?
The best cure is prevention. Hence, protecting your dog from dangers of
summer is a way feasible and recommended than rushing your pet to vet to
cure the heat stroke. The rundown of preventive measures for heart stroke
is as follows.

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Keep your pup away from the conditions that cause heat stroke
Do not let your dog linger on the hot surfaces like asphalt and cement.
Make sure that you never ever leave your dog in the hot car because no
matter, if it isn’t hot outside the temperature, can soar inside the closed car.
Let water be bliss
If your dog is out for a longer period on a very hot day then make sure to
provide him adequate water to keep him hydrated. Allow your dog to access
water over the swimming pool or provide him his own kiddy sized pool and
be sure to supervise your pooch.
Say no to the trimmer
Though it may sound contrary, giving your dog an intense haircut for the
summer increases their body temperature. This happens when you
completely shave your dog’s fur because they require at least a couple of
inches of hairs to protect themselves from sunburn. Therefore, groom your
dog as per the season.
Keep your house cool
When it is hot as hell outside, make sure to keep your house cool where
your Fido can have a chill pill. Close the drapes and leave the air
conditioner on. If you don’t have AC, ensure to turn on the fans and open
the windows.
Protect your pooch from parasites
Letting your dog play out all day around in summer may not only increase
the chances of heat stroke but your dog is also at a risk for heartworm and
Lyme disease. The parasite such as fleas and ticks are ubiquitous which are
the hosts of other dangerous diseases. For protecting your pooch from fleas
& ticks, you can provide him the best available flea treatments, fleas
collars. Also by deworming him, you can make sure he is free from
worms.

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Monitor the weight
Winter stays for a long and goes by giving your pooch some extra pounds.
Therefore, summer is a suitable season for your pet to exercise and get back
into shape. Ensure that you engross your pet in doing physical activities
daily to stay fit and fine in order to elude the dangers of heat stroke.
Dogs get sunburns too, especially the dogs with light color or thin coats.
Thus, you can use Petscreen SPF23 Sunscreen to protect your Fido from
harmful UV rays and prevent skin diseases. Before the heat stroke takes the
serious turn, make sure to immediately take your pooch to the veterinarian.