Please be careful when travelling...

Posted on Facebook by Prospect House Veterinary Clinic

---

Hello, my name is Louis, and yesterday afternoon I almost died as a result of heatstroke. I was travelling with my owners and 2 other canine friends in a car. The windows were down and I had human company. Although my two canine friends were unaffected, I succumbed to the temperature of the day, and having a slightly compromised airway due to my breed anatomy, I collapsed. I was rushed to Prospect House where I was given emergency treatment including intravenous fluids, having to have my body temperature brought down gradually, (it was off the thermometer at 108 degrees), and medication to stop the fits that occurred as a result of my raised temperature. After a very long, worrying night for everybody.....and being attended to by the Vets Now out of hours team, I have now made a good recovery. Please be mindful of all my canine friends, walks should be either very early in the morning or late at night, and for us who have shorter, flatter faces, please be extra vigilant.

How frightening! I hope that poor dog suffered no brain damage from such a high body temp. I wonder what the temperature was in that poor dog's area. When temps here are at 80°F/26C° in the morning when sun has just come up, I only walk Sophie for a mile and then put her in our air-conditioned house, and continue on without her. If that is the temp in the middle of the day, with the heat of the sun and humidity, I don't even think of exercise-walking her beyond a potty visit outdoors. I used the same guidelines with our ShihTzu, whose face was even flatter. It simply is not worth the risk and prefer to err on the side of caution.