Heat Alert

It's nearing that time of year again when all of us must become aware of the heat! We insert this article in our manuals now, but we feel everyone needs to review the following info:

In the past several years we have had frantic calls as the temperatures climb from adoptees who have walked their dogs and the dogs have become overheated. But up until last summer we have been fortunate enough to escape heat stroke. Unfortunately, one of our adoptees went for an evening walk with his parents and had heat stroke. They rushed him to the emergency veterinary hospital where he remained in 24 hour intensive care for several days before all his functions shut down and he died.

We know that when we do our home visits we go over the information on how HEAT SENSITIVE greyhounds are, but maybe we are not stressing it enough. Not only do you need to exercise them early in the morning or late in the evening, you need to cut their walks back to a fraction of what they can do in normal or cool temperatures. Also make sure their visits outside are short and then get them back into the air conditioning and fan cooled room quickly. Of course, leaving your dog outside any time is not an option. You have all signed contracts agreeing to this because this is a life threatening situation in which you would be placing your greyhound.

If they do become overheated (which means panting very heavily, feeling very warm to the touch or anything out of the ordinary), here are a few tips to keep them hydrated and to cool them down:

• Fill a tub with cold water or ice and have your greyhound sit, lay or stand in it. Splash water on their stomachs and place a cold wet cloth on their heads. You can also pack them with ice and towels.
• When walking - this is a tip from the late Mary Stock - put a cold wet towel around their necks. There are also tubes you can freeze and place in a sleeve with Velcro on both ends and wrap it around their necks (joggers use these). Also, Janet Stinson has designed a cool coat. It is a highly absorbent, lightweight fabric designed to be used to cool your grey down if he or she looks like they are getting too hot. None of these ideas can stop heat stroke, only common sense and moderation can prevent that.
• To get their electrolytes up, sprinkle powdered Gatorade on their food or give them a bowl of Pedialite (baby water).
• Add a small can of Pet Evaporated Milk to a pan of water. This encourages them to drink a large quantity. A lot of the breeders do this to flush their systems.
• Carry a squeeze container with ice water and squirt your dog occasionally on the forehead and back.

All of these are tips to help with the heat, but most of all USE CAUTION AND WALK MODERATELY!! NO jogging in the heat! Heat Stroke can and does happen!

And by all means, if your greyhound doesn't recover quickly from your walk or acts at all "suspicious," call your vet IMMEDIATELY. Dr. Dan Hecker says some things to look for with heat stroke are panting excessively, anxiety, bright red gums and possibly bloodshot eyes. The signs are subtle. The best thing you can do if they seem overheated is get them into cold water and ice to get their temperatures down. If you are in the car, stand them in front of the air conditioner on full blast until you can quickly get to ice and water. Dr. Hecker says two things that all dog owners should keep on hand are a digital thermometer and aspirin. This way you can report their temperature to the vet, and aspirin will help get the temps down.

God bless our little Rocky. He will be remembered and missed.