The leading cause of heat exhaustion and heat stroke is leaving a dog in a hot car. Even on a mild day (75-80 degrees F), the temperature inside a car can raise up to 130 degrees rather quickly! Leaving a window slightly open will NOT prevent heat build-up. Leaving a dog in a car on a warm day is simply a risk to the dog's life!

Heat stroke occurs when the dog's ability to regulate its body temperature is lost. A dog regulates body temperature primarily through respiration (panting). When the respiratory tract cannot evacuate heat quickly enough, the body temperature rises. Normal body temperature is less than 102 F, but once the temperature goes over 105 F a number of physiologic events can occur that make it even more difficult for the animal to regain control of its temperature. At this time, oxygen delivery to the system cannot keep up with rapidly elevating demand. If the temperature exceeds 108 F, cellular damage starts to occur in a number of organ systems including the kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract, heart and brain. The extent of the cellular damage depends on the magnitude and the duration of the temperature elevation. Clearly, this can be a life-threatening situation, but for those animals that survive there is the possibility of long-term problems after the occurrence.

There are a number of factors that help to precipitate heat stroke. Some of the most significant are: environmental temperature, humidity, lack of ventilation, muscular activity, anxiety, breed type (dogs with compromised airways, such as bulldogs, cannot efficiently evaporate to reduce body temperature through panting), coat color- dark coats absorb more heat, age (older dogs have less ability to regulate body temperature and suffer the effects of increased body temperature sooner).

Dogs experiencing heat stroke will have a muddy pink color of their gums instead of the nice red-pink color that normally exists. Early on, the skin of the ears may become flushed and red. Their heart rate will be dramatically elevated, and they will be panting furiously. They tend to stand or walk very slowly without regard to where they are. Some will lie on their sternum. If it progresses, most dogs will soon have a wild or panicked expression and will not particularly aware of their environment. Any combination of these symptoms should have an owner scrambling for a rectal thermometer and taking those steps necessary to help drive the temperature back down. If a thermometer is not available, presume it to be heat stroke and initiate treatment. If the animal does not respond favorably, the diagnosis can be reevaluated later. Significantly delaying the treatment of heat stroke can dramatically increase the risk of long-term consequences or death.

HEAT STROKE IS AN EMERGENCY
Treat the dog immediately ! Heat stroke requires veterinary assistance, but you can effectively initiate treatment in most cases before heading for the vet. First, you must IMMEDIATELY and aggressively assist the dog's efforts to lower body temperature with the use of water and air. Since the lungs cannot keep up with the heat buildup, we now have to cool the skin and associated blood vessels so the body's temperature will decrease. Submersion of the dog in cool water will start to bring the temperature down quickly. Note: You will want to avoid extremely cold water or ice since they cause the blood vessels in the skin to constrict and will not allow for a meaningful heat exchange. If there isn't anything available to submerse the dog in, you can start wetting him down with a hose. Wet him down all over but most importantly, let the water run continuously in the groin area since there are large numbers of significant and relatively superficial blood vessels in that area that will allow for more rapid cooling of the blood. The dog should be in a well-ventilated, shady area to allow for evaporation of the water. Evaporation cools body temperatures very effectively. When you are transporting him to the veterinary hospital, keep the air conditioner on or the windows open to increase evaporation. Do not use an enclosed style crate since it allows for very little evaporation or fresh cool air for the lungs. Do not cover the dog with a wet towel as it will prevent evaporation.

Heat stroke can leave permanent damage and a vet MUST evaluate the dog. Once their temperature starts dropping, you should seek veterinary assistance as soon as possible. It is advisable in most cases to start these animals on intravenous fluids and monitor kidney and liver function for at least several days. The necessity for this laboratory work depends on the magnitude and the duration of the elevated temperature, but even in relatively short mild occurrences, it is a wise precaution to take.

Obviously prevention of heat stroke is a far better alternative than treatment. Everyone is aware of the risks of having a dog in a vehicle in the summer. Even moderate environmental temperatures can be very dangerous when there is little ventilation. Heavy activity drives body temperatures up with alarming speed. Following intervals of high activity, return the dog to an air conditioned vehicle, or wet the dog down and go to an area that is shaded and preferably breezy to allow for evaporation. Do not wet the dog down and return it to an enclosed style crate, as you will be creating a steam bath like environment! Make sure there is access to reasonable volumes of cool fresh water both before and after activity. We also need to be conscious of those animals that are at increased risk: dogs that have high body mass, older dogs, and those that are (even a bit) overweight. Being aware of the various risk factors as well as the environmental considerations should help all of us avoid this potentially devastating problem. The best thing to do in the summer for a long coated dog is to comb or brush the coat regularly. It will remove the shed hair, helping the skin to breathe and reduce the dead hair in the coat which tends to trap heat. The color of your dog's coat also has an impact on your dog's ability to reflect the sun's rays. Black dogs absorb more of the sun's rays than do dogs with lighter-colored coats. Many dogs will play until they drop. You must supervise games, and determine when it is time to stop. Be sure that there is a shaded area for your dog to rest in and that your dog has a constant supply of clean water.

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