Description
This article is from the Canine
Activities: Camping with Your Dog, by Jayne Cravens with
numerous contributions by others.
05 Heat Exhaustion or Stroke
Heat stroke is a life threatening condition for your dog (hey, and for
you too) and you should be able to recognize the warning signs and
know how to prevent it. Even on a cooler day, if it is very sunny, and
your dog is working hard or is a dark-coated breed, they can get
overheated. It can be as big a threat to a dog while camping as
disease or animal attack.
Watch your dog for signs of heat exhaustion or stroke. Particularly,
unusually rapid panting, and/or a bright red tongue or mucous
membranes. The dog's primary mechanism for cooling off is through
panting. Since this cooling process uses evaporation the dog will
require more water when he is panting heavily. Shorter-nosed breeds
(eg, Bulldogs, Pugs) may have a less efficient heat exchange rate, so
should be watched especially closely.
Check with your vet for the best ways to cool down an overheated dog.
There are also excellent suggestions on the Hiking/Backpacking with
Canines page.
Continue to:
Share and Enjoy
Bookmark this story so others can enjoy it:
Tags
dog, canine, camping
