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Sarasota, FL 34239
(941) 366-2275
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5309 Fruitville Road
Sarasota, FL 34232
(941) 378-1236
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Summer is here again, bringing longer days, brighter sunshine, and of course higher temperatures. It is at this time that pet owners have to be aware of the increasing danger of heat stroke. Here in Florida, with our generally high humidity, we have to be especially vigilant.
What is Heat Stroke? Heat stroke is a life threatening condition that occurs when rising core temperature caused by the environment or overexertion overcome the body's compensatory thermoregulatory mechanisms. Animals dissipate heat in four ways: 1) Radiation - heat is released into cooler air, 2) Conduction - heat is released to a cooler surface that is touching the body, 3) Convection - heat is released into a moving current of air or water (why ceiling fans make you feel cool), and 4) Evaporation - heat transferred to the surrounding air by using energy for the phase change from liquid to gas (in our case, through evaporation of sweat; in dogs and cats, through evaporation of saliva through panting).
Causes of heat stroke. High ambient temperatures and humidity, lack of ventiliation, lack of water, and overexertion can all decrease an animal's ability to release excess heat. Also, medical conditions such as upper airway obstruction, brachycephalic upper airway syndrome (extra tissue interfering with respiration found in short nosed breeds such as Pugs, Shi tzus, Persians, English Bulldogs and Sharpeis), obesity, and heart or lung disease can increase an animal's susceptibility to heat stroke. When this happens, the core body temperature starts to increase. The rise in body temperature is noted by the hypothalamus which stimulates the panting center to increase heat loss through evaporation, peripheral blood vessels (under the skin) dilate to allow more blood to bring the excess heat to the surface to increase heat loss through conduction and radiation. However, if the heat cannot be transferred by these methods, these compensatory mechanisms are overwhelmed and things the body does to protect itself starts to cause injury.
Signs of heat stroke. Panting is first noted as the body tries to compensate. Hypersalivation or drooling takes place to increase evaporative heat loss. As the peripheral vessels remain dilated, the animal's blood pressure drops. The body tries to compensate by contracting blood vessels in the spleen, and by increasing heart rate. However, this decreases blood flow to internal organs such as the kidneys and gastrointestinal system. As this situation continues, vomiting, diarrhea and shock with weakness, disorientation and collapse can occur. If the high temperatures persist, the end result is coma and death caused by cerebral edema.
What to do. Get your pet to a veterinarian as soon as possible. During transportation, you can place cool but not cold water on your pet and have air from a fan circulating around him. If you use cold water or ice and try to decrease the temperature too fast, you will cause constriction of peripheral vessels which will actually decrease heat dissipation and increase internal temperatures still further.
What your veterinarian will do. Your animal will require immediate stabilization upon arrival at your veterinarian's office. This can include intravenous catheter placement and fluids to help support the heart and blood pressure, decrease core body temperature, and correct any dehydration; oxygen supplementation to correct perfusion problems caused by vessel constriction and ineffective breathing patterns, and blood work to help evaluate damage to internal organs such as the kidneys and liver. During this time, your pet may be cooled by tepid water baths while its temperature is monitored closely to prevent over correction where the core body temperature becomes too low. Depending on the extent of the damage to internal organs, your pet may need to be hospitalized and closely monitored for several days. Possible complications that your veterinarian will be monitoring and treating will be acute renal failure, cardiac failure and heart arrhythmias, gastric ulcers, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) where the platelets form spontaneous clots, and cerebral edema.
Prognosis. The prognosis for heat stroke depends on the severity and the duration of the heat exposure and the existence of any previous medical conditions. Chances are greatly improved with early aggressive treatment and the first 24 hours tend to be critical for survival. However, you must be aware that even if your animal recovers, damage incurred during the incident can permanently affect organs such as the kidneys and future monitoring may be warranted.
Prevention. The best way to handle heat stroke is to be aware of it and to prevent it from happening if at all possible. Here are a few tips: 1) Never leave your animal in a parked car even if you crack the windows. Adequate ventilation usually does not occur and the temperature in a car can surpass 100 degrees within minutes. 2) Make sure your animal is provided with plenty of ventilation, fresh water, and shade. Don't depend on air conditioning units and fans as the only means of cooling ventilation. One family lost three pets when the air conditioner of the shed they used as a kennel shut off during a power failure. 3) Do not leave brachycephalic breeds outside unattended for any length of time. These breeds tend to naturally have trouble with heat and can quickly get into trouble. 4) Let your pet rest and cool off if it starts to slow down during play or exercise. Remember, you may be able to sweat to rid yourself of heat while running, but they can only pant and are wearing a fur coat. With a little awareness and diligence, both you and your pet should be able to enjoy the summer together.
What is Heat Stroke? Heat stroke is a life threatening condition that occurs when rising core temperature caused by the environment or overexertion overcome the body's compensatory thermoregulatory mechanisms. Animals dissipate heat in four ways: 1) Radiation - heat is released into cooler air, 2) Conduction - heat is released to a cooler surface that is touching the body, 3) Convection - heat is released into a moving current of air or water (why ceiling fans make you feel cool), and 4) Evaporation - heat transferred to the surrounding air by using energy for the phase change from liquid to gas (in our case, through evaporation of sweat; in dogs and cats, through evaporation of saliva through panting).
Causes of heat stroke. High ambient temperatures and humidity, lack of ventiliation, lack of water, and overexertion can all decrease an animal's ability to release excess heat. Also, medical conditions such as upper airway obstruction, brachycephalic upper airway syndrome (extra tissue interfering with respiration found in short nosed breeds such as Pugs, Shi tzus, Persians, English Bulldogs and Sharpeis), obesity, and heart or lung disease can increase an animal's susceptibility to heat stroke. When this happens, the core body temperature starts to increase. The rise in body temperature is noted by the hypothalamus which stimulates the panting center to increase heat loss through evaporation, peripheral blood vessels (under the skin) dilate to allow more blood to bring the excess heat to the surface to increase heat loss through conduction and radiation. However, if the heat cannot be transferred by these methods, these compensatory mechanisms are overwhelmed and things the body does to protect itself starts to cause injury.
Signs of heat stroke. Panting is first noted as the body tries to compensate. Hypersalivation or drooling takes place to increase evaporative heat loss. As the peripheral vessels remain dilated, the animal's blood pressure drops. The body tries to compensate by contracting blood vessels in the spleen, and by increasing heart rate. However, this decreases blood flow to internal organs such as the kidneys and gastrointestinal system. As this situation continues, vomiting, diarrhea and shock with weakness, disorientation and collapse can occur. If the high temperatures persist, the end result is coma and death caused by cerebral edema.
What to do. Get your pet to a veterinarian as soon as possible. During transportation, you can place cool but not cold water on your pet and have air from a fan circulating around him. If you use cold water or ice and try to decrease the temperature too fast, you will cause constriction of peripheral vessels which will actually decrease heat dissipation and increase internal temperatures still further.
What your veterinarian will do. Your animal will require immediate stabilization upon arrival at your veterinarian's office. This can include intravenous catheter placement and fluids to help support the heart and blood pressure, decrease core body temperature, and correct any dehydration; oxygen supplementation to correct perfusion problems caused by vessel constriction and ineffective breathing patterns, and blood work to help evaluate damage to internal organs such as the kidneys and liver. During this time, your pet may be cooled by tepid water baths while its temperature is monitored closely to prevent over correction where the core body temperature becomes too low. Depending on the extent of the damage to internal organs, your pet may need to be hospitalized and closely monitored for several days. Possible complications that your veterinarian will be monitoring and treating will be acute renal failure, cardiac failure and heart arrhythmias, gastric ulcers, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) where the platelets form spontaneous clots, and cerebral edema.
Prognosis. The prognosis for heat stroke depends on the severity and the duration of the heat exposure and the existence of any previous medical conditions. Chances are greatly improved with early aggressive treatment and the first 24 hours tend to be critical for survival. However, you must be aware that even if your animal recovers, damage incurred during the incident can permanently affect organs such as the kidneys and future monitoring may be warranted.
Prevention. The best way to handle heat stroke is to be aware of it and to prevent it from happening if at all possible. Here are a few tips: 1) Never leave your animal in a parked car even if you crack the windows. Adequate ventilation usually does not occur and the temperature in a car can surpass 100 degrees within minutes. 2) Make sure your animal is provided with plenty of ventilation, fresh water, and shade. Don't depend on air conditioning units and fans as the only means of cooling ventilation. One family lost three pets when the air conditioner of the shed they used as a kennel shut off during a power failure. 3) Do not leave brachycephalic breeds outside unattended for any length of time. These breeds tend to naturally have trouble with heat and can quickly get into trouble. 4) Let your pet rest and cool off if it starts to slow down during play or exercise. Remember, you may be able to sweat to rid yourself of heat while running, but they can only pant and are wearing a fur coat. With a little awareness and diligence, both you and your pet should be able to enjoy the summer together.
