Avoiding and Dealing with Heat Emergencies

In any yarn about hunting dog health out bush, one thing keeps popping up: A dog doesn't know when to chuck it in.

Hunters speak admiringly of hero dogs that never give up. We use words such as 'bird-mad' and 'hard-working' to heap praise on those dogs that would seemingly rather run themselves to death than rest. And therein lies the problem.

Take some time to understand the many factors that can lead to a heat emergency, prepare for your outings to avoid such an emergency, and then have an action plan in place to deal with the Big 3: heat stress, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Breed, Colour and Body Type

Some dogs handle the heat better than others. A thin-coated English Pointer that hunts quail in Georgia is a completely different animal to a Labrador Retriever that's been bred to handle the rigours of waterfowl hunting in freezing weather. They're both susceptible to heat-related emergencies, but the pointer will fare better in warm conditions, all else being equal.

SportDOG Senior ProStaff LTC Jim Morehouse has been training, hunting and guiding in Arizona for decades. His main breed of choice is the German Short-Haired Pointer, and he identifies a distinction about coat colour being a factor in handling heat.

“Lighter-coloured dogs seem to perform better in hot weather. I would never choose a dog based only on its coat colour, but because I live in the Southwest, I really favour predominantly white shorthairs,” Morehouse said. “A lighter coat is absolutely an advantage when it comes to handling the heat. Let me emphasise that I have nothing against a liver-coloured shorthair or any other dark-coated dog, but in the heat, lighter is better.”

Wet Dog, Cool Dog … Sometimes

Another point about hot-weather dog health we hear repeatedly from sporting dog vets is not to assume that a wet dog is automatically a cool dog. SportDOG Brand Senior ProStaff Tom Dokken made this point in his “Retrieve” column in Gun Dog Magazine when he quoted vet Dr. Jennell Appel about summertime training.

“I find that we can have a false sense of security about water,” Appel said. “We all reckon that a dog’s body is gonna cool down in the water. Swimming is a full-on body workout and it’s actually more stressful than running, 'cause the dog is using every muscle to push through the water, and to keep itself afloat. All of that really heats up a dog’s inside body temperature.”

There's a common belief that no matter the air temp, as long as a dog's damp it'll get the cooling benefit of evaporation once it gets out of the water.

“While this effect is certainly real, you do need to pay attention to the water temp as it relates to the air temp and don’t assume that because your dog is wet it’s automatically cooling down,” Dokken explains. “Shallow training ponds can get incredibly warm. So be sure to get your dog into some shade after a workout to start the cooling process.”

Heat Emergency: Know the Signs

If your dog gets into strife, the best thing you can do is head to the nearest vet. Where's that? Well, that's unfortunately been a fair dinkum question for travelling shooters who find themselves in the middle of nowhere, a long way from home.

Before any trip, look up the names and numbers of vets in the area you'll be visiting. IMPORTANT: Jot down their after-hours services, because the emergency care and location for a vet might differ from their main office. Chuck all this info into your phone and share it with your mates so you're not wasting time looking for it when every minute counts.

Below is a brief summary of heat-emergency symptoms and field treatments you can apply before or during a quick trip to the vet.

Heat Stress

Symptoms:

• Increased thirst and panting
• Tongue appears wider or flatter
• Saliva is pasty
• Dog seems slower and less focused than usual

Care:

Stop and get to shade; soak paws and belly with water; apply rubbing alcohol to ears, armpits and groin to help dissipate heat; check temperature (normal is 37.8 to 39.2°C); consult vet to provide symptoms’ details.

Heat Exhaustion

Symptoms:

• Panting becomes uncontrollable
• Dog appears weak and/or stumbles
• Vomiting and/or diarrhoea
• Mouth, gums and/or nose are dry
• Muscle tremors

Care:

Do everything you can to cool your dog like you would in a Heat Stress situation, but now getting to a vet STRAIGHT AWAY is a MUST. On the way, lay the dog on a wet towel and get it in front of your vehicle’s fan or an auxiliary fan.

Heat Stroke

Symptoms:

Untreated heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke.

• Dog is uncoordinated and may become unresponsive or collapse
• Your wee's dark or it's not there at all
• Dog may go into a seizure and possibly a coma

Care:

Same as Heat Exhaustion. You MUST get to a vet NOW.

Avoiding heat-related emergencies is the goal but having an action plan in place before hitting the field can be the difference between bringing your dog home that day or not.