Dog Heatstroke: Signs, First Aid, and How to Prevent It

Introduction

Last July, I almost lost my 35-pound Lab mix, Max, to dog heatstroke. I had no idea how fast it could hit, or how stupid I was being, until it was almost too late. I spent $420 on an emergency vet bill that day, and I sat in the waiting room for 3 hours, crying, because I thought I was going to have to put him down. That day, I learned more about heatstroke than I ever wanted to, and I realized that most of the stuff I thought I knew was wrong. I thought heatstroke was just “your dog gets too hot and pants a lot,” but it’s way scarier than that. It can happen in 10 minutes, even on a day that doesn’t feel that hot to you. I’m writing this, because I don’t want any of you to go through what I went through, sitting in that waiting room, wondering if you just killed your best friend.

What Are the Signs of Heatstroke in Dogs

Let me break this down, in plain English, not the vet textbook stuff. I’m going to tell you exactly what I saw, because that’s what matters, right?

First, the panting. It’s not the normal, after-a-walk panting. It’s this loud, raspy, wind-tunnel panting, like he’s trying to suck all the air out of the room. I counted his breaths that day, and it was 120 breaths a minute. Normal is like 30-40, max. That’s how you know it’s bad.

Then, his tongue. Normally, his tongue is that nice pink color, right? But when he got overheated, it turned dark purple, almost blue. And it was so swollen, it was hanging out of his mouth, like he couldn’t pull it back in.

Then, the drool. It wasn’t the normal, thick dog drool. It was this thin, watery, clear drool, just pouring out of his mouth, all over my shirt, when I was carrying him. I wiped it off, and 2 seconds later, it was back.

Then, the wobbling. He started walking like he was drunk. He couldn’t stay upright, he kept tripping over his own feet, and then he just collapsed, right in the middle of the trail. That’s when I knew something was really wrong.

Other signs? He threw up, yellow bile, all over the ground. His gums were dry, not the normal wet, slimy dog gums. And when I took his temperature later, at the vet, it was 104.5 degrees. Normal dog temp is 101-102.5, so that’s way too high.

I had no idea, before that day, that all those little things were signs of heatstroke. I thought he was just tired. I was so wrong.

My Scary Experience With Heatstroke

Let me tell you exactly what happened, so you can see how fast this can go wrong. It was a Saturday, July 15th, the weather app said it was 92 degrees. I thought, “Oh, it’s early, 8 AM, it’s not that hot yet, we can go for that 3 mile hike we love.” I packed a water bottle, half for me, half for him, and we headed out.

The first mile was fine. Max was running around, sniffing things, being his normal self. Then, the sun came up, and it got hot, really fast. By the time we hit the 2 mile mark, Max started slowing down. He kept stopping, panting, and I was like, “C’mon buddy, we’re almost done, just a little more.” I gave him a sip of water, he took two licks, and then he just stood there, staring at me.

I thought he was being lazy. I even joked to myself, “Wow, you’re out of shape, huh?” Then, 10 minutes later, he just collapsed. Right there, in the middle of the trail. His tongue turned purple, he started drooling all over the place, and he couldn’t stand up.

I panicked. I grabbed him, and he was so heavy, 35 pounds, and I ran, as fast as I could, back to the car. I was sweating so bad, my shirt was soaked through, and I was crying, because I had no idea what was wrong with him. I threw him in the back seat, turned the AC on full blast, and drove as fast as I could to the nearest emergency vet, which was 20 minutes away.

When we got there, the vet took him right away. She checked his temperature, and she said, “His temp is 104.5, he has heatstroke. You got here just in time. If you waited another 20 minutes, his organs would have started shutting down, and we couldn’t have saved him.”

I sat there, in the waiting room, for 3 hours, while they gave him IV fluids, and cooled him down. The bill was $420, which was way more than I had planned to spend that weekend. But honestly, I would have paid $10,000, if that’s what it took to save him.

That day, I realized how stupid I was. I thought, “Oh, he’s a dog, he can handle the heat.” I thought, “If he was too hot, he would tell me.” But no, dogs don’t tell you that. They just keep going, because they want to please you, until it’s too late.

Immediate First Aid Steps

After that day, I talked to the vet, and I did a ton of research, to figure out what I should have done, right then, on the trail. Here’s the step-by-step stuff, that actually works, not the garbage you see on Facebook.

1. Get him out of the sun, right now. Move him to the shade, immediately. Don’t wait, don’t try to walk him back to the car first. Just stop, right where you are, get him under a tree, or in the shade.
2. Use cool (not ice cold) water. Don’t use ice water, don’t put him in a tub of ice. That sounds counterintuitive, right? But the vet told me, ice water makes their blood vessels constrict, which traps the heat inside their body, instead of letting it out. Use cool, room temperature water, or even cold tap water, not ice. Pour it over his paws, his belly, and his neck. Those are the places where the blood vessels are close to the skin, so that’s where the heat can escape the fastest.
3. Fan him. If you have a fan, or even just a piece of paper, fan him, to help the water evaporate, which cools him down faster.
4. Give him small sips of cool water. Don’t force him to drink, don’t pour it down his throat. Just let him lick a little bit, if he wants. If he can’t drink, don’t push it.
5. Check his temperature every 5 minutes. Keep doing this, until his temperature drops to 103 degrees. Once it hits that, you can stop, because you don’t want to cool him down too fast.

That’s it. That’s all you need to do, right there, in the first 10 minutes. I wish I had known this, before that day. I would have done this, right there on the trail, instead of panicking and running to the car.

When to Get to the Vet

Here’s the thing: even if you do all that first aid stuff, you still need to get to the vet, right away. Because heatstroke doesn’t just go away, once you cool their temperature down. It can cause delayed organ damage, to their kidneys, their liver, their brain, that you can’t see, right away.

The vet told me, even if his temperature goes back to normal, you still need to bring him in, to get checked out. Because the damage can take 24 hours to show up.

And if you see any of these things, you need to go, immediately, no waiting:

• His temperature is over 104 degrees, and it won’t go down, no matter what you do.
• He’s throwing up, or he has blood in his stool.
• He can’t stand up, or he’s unconscious.
• He’s having seizures.
• His breathing is really labored, he can’t catch his breath.

For me, that day, he couldn’t stand up, and his temperature was 104.5, so I knew I had to go, right away. I didn’t wait, I didn’t try to “see if he gets better,” I just went. And that’s what saved him.

I know, vet bills are expensive. I get it, $420 was a lot for me, that month. But it’s way cheaper than losing your dog. Trust me, it’s worth it.

How I Prevent Heatstroke Now

After that scare, I changed everything. I don’t mess around with the heat anymore, not with Max. Here’s what I do, now, to keep him safe, and it’s worked, for the last year, no more scares.

First, I never, ever, go out between 12 PM and 4 PM, in the summer. That’s when the sun is the hottest, and the pavement is the hottest. I tested the pavement, once, with my hand, last summer, at 2 PM. It was 120 degrees. I could only hold my hand on it for 3 seconds, before it burned me. Imagine what that does to your dog’s paws, which are way more sensitive than yours. Now, I only walk him at 6 AM, or after 8 PM, when it’s cool outside.

Second, I pack way more water than I need. I used to bring one small bottle, now I bring a 2 liter bottle, just for him. I stop every 15 minutes, to let him drink, even if he says he’s not tired. I don’t push him, to go further, or faster. If he wants to stop, we stop.

Third, I never leave him in the car. Not even for 5 minutes, not even with the windows down. I read, once, that the temperature in a car can go up 20 degrees, in 10 minutes, even if it’s 70 degrees outside. That’s insane. I don’t care if I’m just running into the store for a second, I leave him at home, if it’s hot.

Fourth, I have a cool pad, at home, that he can lay on, when it’s hot. I also keep the fan on him, all day, and I keep the AC at 75 degrees, even if that makes my electric bill a little higher. It’s worth it.

Fifth, I don’t shave his fur. I used to think, shaving him would keep him cool, but the vet told me, his fur actually protects him from the sun, and from the heat. I just trim the fur on his belly, a little bit, to let the heat escape, but I don’t shave him all over.

And finally, I check the weather, every single day, before we go out. If it’s over 85 degrees, we just stay home. We play inside, we don’t go for hikes, we don’t go for long walks. It’s not worth the risk.

I know, it sounds like a lot, but it’s not. It’s just small changes, that keep him safe. And it’s way better than the alternative, sitting in that vet waiting room, crying, wondering if you’re going to lose him.

Final Thoughts

Heatstroke is scary, it’s fast, and it can happen to anyone, even if you’re a good dog owner. I thought I was a good owner, before that day. I thought I knew everything about my dog. But I didn’t, and I almost paid for it, with his life.

The worst part is, it’s so preventable. All you have to do, is pay attention, to the signs, to the temperature, to your dog. Don’t push them, don’t assume they can handle it, just because you can. They want to please you, so they’ll keep going, until it’s too late.

I spent $420 on that vet bill, and I learned a really hard lesson. But I’m glad I did, because now, I know how to keep him safe, and I can tell other people, so they don’t have to go through what I went through.

If you have a dog, please, take this seriously. Don’t wait, until it’s too late. Check the temperature, bring enough water, watch for the signs. It’s not worth the risk.

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A Quick Disclaimer

I’m not a vet or professional trainer. This is just my personal experience. If your dog shows signs of heatstroke, seek emergency veterinary care immediately.