Heat stroke is one of the most dangerous conditions that can happen to your dog, as their internal organs begin to shut down as a result of a body temperature that is too hot. Around 50% of heat stroke cases result in the death of the dog, as their natural cooling system is not enough to regulate their temperatures before they begin to fail. This article is not going to concentrate on the symptoms of heat stroke (excessive panting, drooling, inability to focus, etc.) but instead is about preventing it in the first place. Heat stroke in dogs is almost always brought on by human negligence or a failure to accurately assess how distressed the dog is, and as a result it is important for us to educate ourselves on the types of conditions that can easily lead to heat stroke. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
To understand how heat stroke effects dogs, we must first understand their primary cooling system for their brain. Panting is the dog’s way of cooling their skull and preventing swelling of the brain that can lead to death. The dog pants in order to evaporate water in the back of their throat and sinuses, essentially expelling heat build up as they exhale the evaporated water. Heat stroke sets in when this is not enough to actually drop their internal temperatures down to a normal level, and generally starts around 104 degrees. For reference, this is only a few degrees hotter than their natural body temperature. The most obvious way to avoid heat stroke is to limit the amount of exposure your dog has to temperatures over about 85 degrees. Very obviously, you also must limit the amount of exercise they perform in these temperatures as this will cause them to heat up even faster than simple exposure. If you enjoy playing with your dog, it is best not to do so at all if the temperature is over 85 degrees and you are in direct sunlight. If your dog is a flat-faced dog like a bulldog or a pug, limit their exposure completely. Flat-faced dogs have less tongue surface and therefor evaporate water less effectively, which means that you need to be even more careful with them. Around 10 times as many dogs die on walks every year than die being locked in hot cars, so even a short walk in these conditions can be deadly.
Humidity is one of the most difficult aspects of heat stroke, as it will many times come with overcast conditions that lead owners to believe it is safe to exercise their dogs outside. Humidity makes it so that the evaporation that is happening in the dog’s throat is less effective, or even completely stopped. The humid conditions prevent water from evaporating, and thereby the dog no longer expels the heat no matter how much they pant. In desert areas like where we live in Las Vegas, as well as Texas, Arizona, Utah, California and New Mexico there is generally very low levels of humidity. This brings about an issue every year when monsoon season sets in and we get rain over several weeks or months time. The buildup of humidity generally corresponds with slightly cooler temperatures, making owners believe that is is now cool enough to walk or exercise their dogs outside. Instead, we find that it is even worse conditions for the dog than the extreme heat, as the dog’s cooling system is no longer working effectively. The humidity causes the dog to overheat easily in temperatures that are actually cooler than what we are used to in the summer, and this misjudgment on owner’s parts is responsible for hundreds of dog deaths every year. Many people will take the first opportunity to start taking long walks in the mornings or evenings, or even taking their dogs out to open fields or dog parks to exercise and run. They do so because they have been constrained to the house for several months after the extreme heat of summer. This inability to understand that it is not actually cooler for the dog when it is humid can have grave consequences, so the answer is to always assess the weather in an area like Las Vegas before allowing your dog to exert themselves outside. Simply put, their bodies are not equipped or used to these conditions, and can fail very quickly.
If it is humid outside do not walk your dog long distances or exercise them outside. If it is over 85 degrees, do not walk your dog long distances or exercise them outside. If you have a dog with a medical condition, breathing issue or natural physical makeup of having a flat-face, be even more careful and limit their exposure even more. They will not be happy about it, and will want to go outside. They will whine and bark and make you crazy to run and chase things in the sunshine. You have to understand as their owner that you know better than them. You must protect them from dangerous situations that they cannot understand. It is your job to keep them safe.
