Heat stroke?

[BrackenT]

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Hi All

Help needed - please.

Our dogs were in the park for 40 minutes today - we have a Chocolate Lab - aged 5 and a Springer Spaniel aged 4. The temperature had fallen considerably though it was still humid, the dogs were itching for a bit of a leg stretch. The park is a 30 second walk from our house and very well shaded with large oaks and shrub area. My husband played mini cricket with our son aged 4 and threw approximately 4 balls for the dogs, largely the dogs rested in the shaded area and played as usual. at 5: 30 pm my husband walked the dogs back home with our son however our Springer who weighs approx 28 kg and has a balanced diet, seen regularly by our vet simply plomped to the ground - his legs seemed not to have any energy and he was panting quite noticeably. My older son walked across the road and picked the Springer up and carried him home, he was responsive - panting - tail wagging - seemed a bit hot however nothing more than this. I noticed excessive saliva from his mouth and his tongue constantly out so called our out of hours emergency vet. They advised that I should immediately get him in a cold bath, I opted for a shower hose in the garden. When I put the hose on him a large poo dribbled out of him, no effort required. His legs at this point were not responding and he was flinching, the white of his eyes were bloodshot. I phoned the vet back to say that he seemed cooler and had unsteadily crawled almost to his favourite spot under my chair. (this entire scenario had taken 50 minutes), I was told not to bring him in as things seemed stable. I called the Vet back twice ultimately I decided to take him for emergency attention as his flinching became quite pronounced - his skin/fur felt tight, his saliva resumed to a sticky substance and he seemed to be in shock. Vet tells me £650 later that he thinks it is heat stroke and its a 50/50 chance. Not sure this sits well as our overweight Lab is fine and the day was no different to any other.

Please please advise. Anne Marie. (amtaylor.di@gmail.com)

 

[eingana]

Blimey, that sounds terrifying for all concerned Anne Marie.

How is your boy today?

I'd be inclined to think that it was more likely to be a poison of some sort rather than heat stroke if you've gone out of your way to make sure that the dogs weren't exposed to too high a temperature for too long. The symptoms do sound like heat stroke, but then so do the symptoms of many toxic substances. The part when he was not responsive could well have been a fit brought on by either heat stroke or whatever else. The problem is that nobody else is a vet who can see your dog, so any advice that we could offer is very limited.

 

[broxi3781]

I am not an expert but it doesn't sound like heat stroke to me - and I have seen it enough time having spent some years in a warmer climate when younger. I don't want to second guess your vet, but would it be possible to get a second opinion? In general, I have vets far more competent than human Dr.s but they are still human and they make mistakes like the rest of us. They also don't have the personal knowledge of your dog that you have. if you know your dog would normally be fine in similar temperatures with a similar level of exercise, that speaks for something too and so does your gut. I was once refused an appointment because refusing to play was not an illness symptom. I just knew my dog and I knew I was right so I phoned around and found a new vet. I started off very nervous but he asked me to come straight in. he said if there was one thing he had learned over the years it was that an owner who was closely bonded with the dog knew what was normal for that dog and what wasn't. A good thing I went in - he did need treatment. I am not saying any vet is wrong, but sometimes two heads are better than one and one person will see something another doesn't. A dr can be set on one diagnosis and it can blind them to others, sometimes you need a fresh perspective. Now I've never had a vet complain about a second opinion, in fact one said we needed one and phoned the local university, but Doctors certainly do not take it well. I would simply explain to the vet that in your gut you don't feel this is right, and if anything were to happen to the dog without you exploring all options you couldn't cope. Let him know you respect his opinion, but that you just want to make doubly sure. I do wish you luck and hope very much the little guy recovers, I know you must be sick with worry.

 

[lurcherman]

Poor thing hope all ends well, if it is heat stroke then come in folks take it easy with the ball and stuff, i walk my dogs in extreme heat or humidity first thing and last thing, it aint rocket science.