Causes and symptoms of sunstroke in cats

In the hot summer, cats are exposed to the sun for too long without any protection, which can cause meningeal congestion, nausea, headache, vomiting, lethargy, etc. This is feline sunstroke. Sunstroke can also cause death, so parents must pay attention to it.

1. Cause

Exposure to the sun for a long time in summer, due to direct sunlight on the head, causes meningeal congestion and bleeding, leading to sunstroke. In addition, animals with thermal diseases, long-term tracheal intubation during surgery, excessive obesity, cardiovascular system, and urinary system diseases are more likely to develop this disease.

2. Symptoms

Extremely high body temperature: The body temperature rises sharply to over 42°C.

Nervous symptoms: Sudden onset, depression at the beginning of the disease, unsteady standing, movement disorder, then excitement and restlessness, confusion, mad dash, and finally lying on the ground and falling into coma. Some suddenly fell to the ground, died from muscle spasms and convulsions.

Symptoms of heart failure: As the condition worsens rapidly, heart failure occurs, manifested by rapid heartbeat, weak pulse, venous congestion, peripheral venous enlargement, and cyanosis of the mucous membrane.

Symptoms of pulmonary edema: Due to the accompanying pulmonary congestion and pulmonary edema, the sick cat has rapid and shallow breathing, opens its mouth and sticks out its tongue, and sprays white foam or blood foam from the mouth and nose. There are wet rales in the lungs on auscultation.

Treatment of cat sunstroke

Cats do not have sweat glands, so they dissipate heat mainly through their four foot pads and nose. Therefore, cats are prone to sunburn if they are exposed to the sun for a long time in hot summer. The causes of sunstroke and heat stroke in cats are different, but their treatments are exactly the same. Cooling down is the key when suffering from solar radiation, so what are the methods to treat solar radiation in cats?

1. Treatment principles

Strengthen nursing care, rapidly cool down, reduce cardiopulmonary load, calm and soothe the mind, and correct water and salt metabolism and acid-base balance disorders.

2. Treatment measures

Immediately move the sick cat to a cool, ventilated place, keep it quiet, and give it plenty of cool drinking water. You can rinse your body with cold water, wipe your body surface with alcohol, use ice cubes or ice packs to apply cold compress to your head, and you can also use cold salt water enema to promote heat dissipation. Chlorpromazine can be used for drug cooling. When the body temperature is close to normal, cooling should be stopped to prevent hypothermia and collapse. For patients with heart failure, sodium caffeine and digitalis preparations can be used appropriately. For patients with pulmonary edema, dexamethasone, hypertonic glucose solution, etc. can be injected intravenously, and appropriate amounts of blood can also be purged. If acidosis occurs, intravenous injectionInject 5% sodium bicarbonate solution to adjust the acid-base balance.

[Prescription 1] Chlorpromazine hydrochloride, 1 to 2 mg per kilogram of body weight. Usage: One intramuscular injection. Description: Calming, cooling.

[Recipe 2] 25% sorbitol, 10~20ml for cats. Usage: intravenous injection. Description: Dehydration, lowering intracranial pressure and pulmonary edema.

[Recipe 3] 5% sodium bicarbonate, 5 to 10ml for cats. Usage: intravenous injection. Description: Correct acidosis.

[Recipe 4] 10% sodium caffeine, 1 to 2 ml for cats. Usage: intravenous injection. Description: Strengthens the heart and excites the respiratory center.

Acupuncture treatment: blood acupuncture therapy uses the tip of the ear and tail as the main points, Shangen, Chest Hall, Yongquan, and Dishui as supporting points; white acupuncture therapy uses Shuigou and Dazhui as the main points, Tianmen, between the fingers, and between the toes For matching points. After the condition is relieved, watermelon water or decoction with mung beans, talc, licorice, etc. can be used to regulate the condition.