BENNINGTON — The sudden shift from cooler spring temperatures to the high heat and humidity forecast to hit our area next week can and often does have devastating effects on our four-legged friends.
“In the thick of summer, generally, we’re all ready for it, including our pets,” said Dr. Bo Bergman, veterinarian and owner of the West Mountain Animal Hospital in Bennington. “They’ve been acclimated. It’s those moments like this week’s forecast, however, when we go from cooler weather that we’ve had recently to hot and humid weather in a short span of time, it can be hard on pets, especially dogs.”
With forecasts of a mini heatwave expected to reach into the 90s at the beginning of the work week in Bennington County, Bergman spoke about some danger signs to look for when your dog becomes overheated, exposed to ticks, stressed by fireworks — and how owners can better help their pets this time of year.
“Dogs regulate their temperature with panting, and they can also sweat from their paws,” Bergman said. “Unlike us, where we can sweat from our entire body, they’re reliant on exchanging air through their panting. If you have hot, humid air, it’s hard for them to get cooled down, especially when exercising during hot times or in a hot car. Just a few minutes in a hot car with closed windows and no air circulation, temperatures can go up quite quickly with devastating results.”
Bergman said some dogs may tolerate temps better than others. Those with complicating issues like obesity, and dogs with short noses, like Bulldogs or boxers, may be unable to exchange the air and pant as well as others. Sometimes a dog’s coat is a good insulator, but dark coat colors can heat up quicker than lighter coats. Age is another thing to be concerned with when it comes to hot weather, especially sudden upward changes in temperatures and humidity. Older pets who go outside can become overheated in only 10 to 15 minutes. Many older dogs, especially smaller breeds, have chronic respiratory, heart, and other problems. Having co-morbidities, such as heart conditions or diabetes, can also lead to more challenges in their systems and more deadly consequences.
“The reason we worry about it is as their internal temperatures go up — and dogs are generally between 99 and 103 degrees — once they’re over 103, they start biologically and physiologically changing. If they get too hot and can’t cool down, you start worrying about serious organ injury that can and often does happen.”
What are the signs in dogs of that occurring?
“Generally, increased panting is going to be your first sign, but often their saliva will change consistency, kind of a thick consistency,” Bergman said. “They’ll look a little more panicked. They’ll search for areas to cool down, dig, or find a cooler corner of the room. They’ll seek out water. If they can’t cool down, it can progress into things like seizures and, worst case scenario, complete collapse.”
Other signs of heat stroke include muscle tremors, dark red mucus membranes, trouble breathing, and in extreme cases, cardiac arrest.
“We want to cool them down,” Bergman said of how owners can prevent a health problem. “We don’t want to do that with super-cold water, like ice water. Ice water will constrict their vessels and lock the heat into their body, not enabling them to release it. Putting your dog in front of the fan, putting them in a cool spot, an air-conditioned area, wetting down their coat with cool water, getting a wet towel, and wrapping them up in the wet towel to absorb some of that heat, those are all things we can do to help. Sometimes, you can put alcohol on their paws to help with evaporative cooling. Just putting them in some cool water, checking how they’re responding, checking their temperature with a rectal thermometer, trying to get it down to 103 degrees, and once you’re below that, you can stop the cooling process.”
“We have to do this for them because with many dogs they’re not going to really do it on their own,” Bergman said. “You have some dogs who will limit themselves, but others are just trained to chase that ball, or whatever their passion is, following you on your runs … They know that the leash is out and they’re ready to go no matter their condition. So, they’re going to follow the owner, the leader.”
Bergman recommends exercising dogs in cooler temperatures.
“AM, PM, times that are generally cooler, when the sun’s not out,” he said. “Just watch for the heat and humidity.”
Ticks and fleas are also a big issue this time of year, especially in Vermont. We asked what he recommends to ensure dogs avoid some of those nasty tick and flea-born illnesses when they’re running around outside.
“Keeping them on a flea and tick preventative is the first step because dogs in Vermont are going to be outside and get exposed,” he said. “Spring and fall are the worst tick seasons. Generally, they like the cooler evenings and the warmer days. So, hopefully, as we get into summer, we’ll see less of them. There are lots of different flea and tick preventatives out there. Finding one that works for you and your dog, effectiveness-wise, cost wise, makes a lot of sense. There are also a lot of good ways to just kind of keep ticks off. Many people use lint rollers when they come in from outside and just rolling their dog down, especially if your dog has a dark coat and you can’t see the ticks very well. There are also some all-natural sprays and some good local ones that have citronella or lemon oil in them that can help repel or distract the ticks. We definitely recommend talking to your veterinarian to find the right one for your pet. We also have been recommending year-round prevention. With the weather these days, you can have some 60-degree days in February, so ticks will come out. Ticks are always around here in Vermont. All it takes is a warm day, and they’ll creep out.”
Bergman always suggests having plenty of water available for your dog as the main key this time of year, sometimes multiple water bowls to make sure it’s fresh. He also wants owners of puppies and older dogs to watch carefully for signs of heat trouble.
“They’re going to be more susceptible to self-regulating issues.”
When dogs can’t cool, dangerous heat exhaustion levels can occur, leading to possible life-or-death situations. Simply rolling down a window a few inches doesn’t prevent heat stroke, nor does parking in the shade. Remember, if you think it’s too hot out, imagine what it feels like to your dog.
There are steps owners can take if they can’t get their dogs to cool down.
“If you catch your dog panting along, and you’ve tried to settle him down, tried to cool him down without noticeable improvement, get him in front of a fan as soon as possible. That works well. If you come upon a dog who’s past that, they’ve already been stressed, they’re lethargic, they can’t walk, get them to your veterinarian right away. Start the cooling process, but get them to your veterinarian. If it goes on for too long, and you’re not able to cool them down at home, get them to your veterinarian. This could be a life-or-death situation. We’d recommend further workup, some blood work to make sure all the organs are functioning properly, and checking to see if they’re in shock. We’ll recommend possibly putting them on IV fluids. Time is important in situations like that.
“There’s a little a bit of a surprise element with the change of the seasons where we’ve been doing things like taking our dogs to the grocery store or going shopping, or going to pick up somebody, or taking them to the sports game, and there’s been no issue because the temps are reasonable,” Bergman said. “All of a sudden, we’re going to go from a high of, say, 72, to highs in the 90s with 100 percent humidity. Your dogs are not going to do well outside in the sun for long periods or in a vehicle in those sorts of times.”
He said it’s better to leave dogs at home in the AC, in the cool room with a fan on, and exercise them in the cool parts of the day.
“In the summertime, there are more cookouts and more loud noises like fireworks,” he added. “Keeping dogs safe from getting trash and bones off the grill and things like that is also important. Some dogs can literally have panic attacks with loud noises and things like fireworks. If you have a stressed dog when there’s fireworks and stuff, we have medications and supplements to help.
“Just make sure they have plenty of water and keep the air circulating. Make sure they have cool places to go and access to cool water. That’s most important.”
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