Greyhounds and Hot Weather
This week I am re-printing an article from last summer. I think it is so important for us to remember how heat can affect our greyhounds. The lazy days of summer are here. Now is the time to review some hot weather tips for our pets. Summer is a season when people and pets can have much fun together, but it is also when our pets have many injuries and heat-related health problems. Just remembering the following tips can help avoid many of the heat related problems.
We all know that heat stroke is dangerous for humans - it is just as dangerous for animals. Learning the signs and symptoms of heat stroke may help you save your pets life. Animals react differently than humans to heat stroke. We sweat to cool ourselves; dogs only sweat through the pads of their feet. Dogs and cats can also cool themselves off by panting. The panting draws air over the moist membranes of the nose and tongue and cools by evaporation. But panting only works for a short time. Prolonged panting can critically upset the metabolic system. The first symptoms you may notice could be laborious panting, drooling and a bright red tongue and gums. The tongue may be swollen and appear "foamy." The inside of the ears can also appear red, not pink. The animal may appear very hot to the touch. They may have "twitching" muscles and a dazed look. The animal may then collapse. You must take EMERGENCY ACTION at this time. To cool the animal off quickly, you may wrap them in a towel soaked with tepid water - in severe cases (for example if your pet has actually collapsed) you can immerse the animal in a tub of cool (NOT COLD) water, put them under a cool shower or give a cool water rubdown immediately. Heatstroke can be fatal - cooling the animal down may help, but you should rush this animal to a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Never leave your pet in a parked car - not even if you crack the windows or park in the shade. This is the number one cause of heatstroke in animals and causes a number of needless deaths each year. On a 70 F day the interior temperature of your car can rise to above 150 F in just minutes.
You must always provide plenty of cool, clean and fresh water to
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