The Scottish Sheepdog is a very heat-intolerant animal? Because the dog does not sweat, nor does it stop moving due to heat; the dog's body cannot regulate its own temperature, and the dog cannot take care of itself and replenish water in time; the dog's sweat glands are all On the tongue, so seeing a dog sticking out its tongue and panting means that the dog is very hot and needs to drink water to cool down or calm down to stop activities; dogs with short noses are more afraid of heat than dogs with long noses and are less likely to dissipate heat. Long-haired dogs are also more afraid of heat than short-haired dogs, so it is necessary to prevent pet heat stroke in summer, but what if a dog suffers from heat stroke? What are the symptoms and prevention methods of heat stroke in Scottish Shepherds?

Scottish Sheepdog

The normal body temperature of a dog should be between 37.8°C and 39°C. When the body temperature reaches 40.65°C, the internal organs begin to be damaged. When the body temperature reaches above 41°C, it is highly dangerous. In a high-heat environment or a high-humidity and hot climate, a dog's body system may fail and die in as little as 20 minutes. Therefore, heatstroke is the biggest threat to dog health in summer or other hot and humid weather conditions.

What are the symptoms of heatstroke?

Panting loudly with the mouth open, with murmurs in the lungs and saliva on the mouth; body swaying and losing balance when walking; weakness; confusion, and finally falling to the ground and death.

To determine whether a pet has heatstroke, in addition to judging by the pet's external behavior and reactions, owners can also touch or observe. For example, if the pet is in a stuffy or high-temperature environment, if the body temperature is much higher than usual, or if the skin on the hairless part of the pet's abdomen appears flushed, with extensive bleeding spots, bleeding spots, etc., these are possible signs of heat stroke.

When a pet has symptoms of heat stroke, the first step for the owner is to untie the collar, chest strap or other items covering and hanging on the pet. If your pet only suffers from mild heat stroke such as drooling, panting, and restlessness, you can first lower the ambient temperature, such as moving the pet to a shaded area, or giving it an electric fan or air conditioner to cool it down, and then give it an appropriate amount of water to slowly recover. . If the pet has difficulty breathing and appears sluggish, wet the pet's body with cold water at the nearest location, or half-immerse it in water, and then send it to a doctor for first aid.

When a pet is in a coma due to severe heatstroke shock, first wet it with ice water or wrap the whole body with an ice towel. You can also wipe it with alcohol to cool down, or pour cold water from the anus into the rectum, and then send it to the doctor as soon as possible. On the way to the hospital, pay attention to lowering the pet's head and straightening its neck to keep the respiratory tract open and prevent vomiting.

When a dog shows symptoms of heatstroke, the owner should immediately take self-rescue rather than waiting for the veterinarian. The most important thing is to lower the dog's body temperature as soon as possible by using cold water (not ice water, ice water will reduce the circulation rate of the skin, thusAnd prolong the cooling time) shower on the dog's body, you can also put the dog in a cold water bath to cool down. The dog should then be taken to a veterinary clinic as quickly as possible. Dogs generally won't drink water on their own in this situation, so they need to be sent to the veterinarian for rapid rehydration and other medications through intravenous drips and other methods.

How to travel with a dog

If you take your dog on a trip or even for a walk, even if it is only for 1-2 hours, there is no problem if the person does not drink water, but you must replenish the dog with water frequently, especially in summer and sultry weather; if the dog is walking or running quickly, Even in winter, you need to take a break every 30 minutes.

When you take your dog for a ride in the car in the summer, you must not leave the dog in the car, because dogs with short noses, such as Jingba, need special care from the sun, because dogs with short noses are exposed to direct sunlight (even in sultry weather without sunlight). The temperature inside the car rises at an alarming rate, and it may kill the dog in less than 20 minutes. It is more difficult to dissipate heat. In the summer, you can even spray the dog's nose with water frequently. The most important thing is to avoid letting the dog do strenuous exercise in hot or humid weather. Walking or exercising is best done in the evening or morning. When the dog is doing exercise, the dog should be allowed to calm down and rest every 30 minutes to lower the body temperature. Do not continue to do strenuous exercise for a long time, such as running, playing games, etc. Even if the dog does not want to stop the activity, arrange the time for walking the dog, which is good for the dog. For an active puppy, it may be a little uncomfortable not to go out for a day. At this time, owners should try to take their pets out to play in the early morning or evening. Don't bathe your dog immediately after you come back, wait until it calms down. Even in summer, do not use cold water to bathe your dog. You can use warm water appropriately.

In summer, dogs are prone to skin diseases because their fur is too thick and long, and they can only use their tongues to dissipate heat, so all sweat cannot be discharged. It is recommended that owners comb their dogs frequently and take a bath once a week, preferably with a parasitic-killing bath liquid.

You can eat ice cream, but don’t overdo it

The weather is hot, and dogs also need to eat something cold to cool down, but the temperature in their stomachs is higher than that of humans. Eating too many cold drinks at once will cause irritation and make the dog sick. So it is very important to control the amount of ice cream you feed. It is best to lick it when it eats popsicles. If you feed it half a bowl of ice cream at once, you will be waiting to send it to the hospital.

Regarding the drinking water temperature in summer, the cool boiled water we usually use is more suitable. It is neither cold nor hot and can help them cool down. Never give dogs ice water, food just taken out of the refrigerator, milk, yogurt, etc. .You can also give your dog some mung bean soup.

When you enjoy the air conditioning in summer, you can let your dog enjoy it too, but the temperature should not be too low, otherwise the dog will also catch cold and get sick. Keep the room fully ventilated and provideThe dog's food must be kept fresh, otherwise the dog will have diarrhea due to unclean food, which will eventually lead to death. If the dog is not given dog food but human food, it should be as light as possible.

To prevent pet heat stroke, we can start from several aspects:

1. Living environment: Place the pet in a place with good ventilation and avoid sunlight. If necessary, provide it with an electric fan or install an air conditioner indoors.

2. Life management: Long-haired pets can be shaved to help dissipate heat, and sufficient water should be added at any time.

3. Outdoor activities: Avoid taking pets out when the temperature is high. If you want to go out, you must bring drinking water and reduce the amount of exercise.

4. Increase vigilance: Pay attention to whether pets have abnormal behaviors or symptoms at any time, especially short-nosed cats or dogs, animals that are obese, have poor cardiopulmonary or liver and kidney function, and suffer from chronic diseases are prone to heat stroke, so pet owners should pay special attention.