Perfect Puppy Care Book – Chapter 7 – Puppy Health Care (Part 12)

Chapter 7 – Puppy Health Care (Part 12)

Emergencies (Continued…)

Dogs do not sweat; they have to pant to cool themselves. This isn’t always very efficient, though, especially in hot weather. A puppy can suffer from heatstroke due to many reasons, including the following:

• She was left in a car in warm weather.
• She exercised in hot, humid weather.
• She was confined in a hot outdoor place without shade.
• She has a flat nose. (Flat-nosed dogs have restricted airways; oxygen doesn’t move as well through those narrow nasal passages. It’s harder for flat-nosed dogs to breathe in general, so adding a hot environment is even more dangerous.)
• She has a medical condition, such as heart or lung problems.

Symptoms of heatstroke include heavy panting and difficulty breathing. Your puppy’s tongue will appear bright red. She may have thick drool and vomit. If it is a severe case, she can go into shock, collapse, and die.

It’s very important to treat your puppy quickly. Move her out of the heat and into air conditioning if possible. Take her temperature. If it’s above 104°F (40°C) degrees, put her in a bathtub filled with cool water (support her head if she is too weak) or spray her with a garden hose for two minutes. Keep checking her temperature. If it gets to 103°F (39.4°C), stop the cooling techniques. Take her to your veterinarian as soon as possible, even if you get her temperature down. After experiencing heatstroke, dogs can have serious complications, including seizures, heart issues, and kidney failure.

Puppies get into everything. They’ll chew on plants that could be poisonous. They don’t realize that certain chemicals may be dangerous, especially if they’re sweet, like certain medicines. Antifreeze, especially, has a very sweet taste that is appealing to animals, but it’s deadly.

If your puppy has swallowed something poisonous, try to identify exactly what she swallowed. Treatment will depend on what she’s ingested. Contact a veterinarian right away. (Be sure to have the package with information about the product available.) If your veterinarian is not available, contact your local emergency animal clinic. Or call the National Animal Poison Control Center toll-free at 1-888-426-4435. This service, offered by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There may be a charge, but it is well worth the price if it saves your puppy’s life. The manufacturer also may have a contact phone number or web address on the package, along with toxicity information.

Your first instinct should your puppy ingest something poisonous may be to get her to throw it up. Wait! Some poisons could actually make your puppy’s condition worse if you induce vomiting.

Never induce vomiting if:

• She’s swallowed a sharp object. If she throws it up, it could perforate her stomach or esophagus, or it could become lodged in her airway and choke her.
• She has already vomited.
• She is unconscious, having difficulty breathing, or having seizures.
• She’s swallowed an acid, cleaning solution, household chemical, or petroleum product.
• The label on the product says “Do not induce vomiting.”

If your veterinarian recommends inducing vomiting, give her 1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of hydrogen peroxide per 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of her body weight. (Yes, the same hydrogen peroxide that you buy at the drugstore or grocery store.) Repeat about every 15 minutes for up to three doses until she vomits.