Heat Distress in Pets - What to do
What symptoms should one look out for, if you should return to your MH and the temperature is elevated? What would you do with your pet? One time I had one of my dogs in a vari kennel drying, af...
Forum Discussion
There are two different aspects to cooling with water, that people need to be aware of. In dry environments, evaporation will do a lot of cooling very fast. In humid environments, it will not.
However, water is always a much more efficient conductor of heat energy away from the body than air is. So in humid environments, you would want to use more water, such as the cooling tubs they use at herding trials, to get the dog (or whatever) cooled down. The water needs to get to the skin to do the job and keeping it moving will help. The belly is a less hairy area and a good area for cooling, also the feet and the head/ears/throat.
In situations where it's possible to do, getting the victim (canine or feline or human or....) out of the environment is ideal IF it is possible. If it isn't, and really sometimes it isn't (or won't be fast enough), you have to do what you can where you are. Larger quantities of water (a tub, pool, or a hose or whatever you can get) would then be your friend while you make arrangements to get the patient out of the situation.
Remember always that even 80 degree water is a lot cooler than normal body temp for humans and animals, and because water absorbs heat efficiently, will do a lot of cooling. Shocking the body with ice is not a good plan and may create a second crisis. So use water that is tepid to cool, not "cold," except that if what you've got is a bottle of ice water putting a little of it on someone while something else is in the works might be fine. You do have to use common sense.
I had my two cats get overwhelmed in the heat a few years ago on a trip through the desert. Both went into the shower and Boo (long hair) then spent some time arguing with me about sitting in front of the fan. I won the argument and he was fine in a little bit.
Finally... If you cool an animal down but are unsure about how serious the situation is, the next thing to do is get proper medical care. I'm all for home nursing but if you are thinking "I wonder if he's okay?!" then it's time for professional guidance. Different people have different levels of knowledge and expertise and you always want to stay within your own.
However, water is always a much more efficient conductor of heat energy away from the body than air is. So in humid environments, you would want to use more water, such as the cooling tubs they use at herding trials, to get the dog (or whatever) cooled down. The water needs to get to the skin to do the job and keeping it moving will help. The belly is a less hairy area and a good area for cooling, also the feet and the head/ears/throat.
In situations where it's possible to do, getting the victim (canine or feline or human or....) out of the environment is ideal IF it is possible. If it isn't, and really sometimes it isn't (or won't be fast enough), you have to do what you can where you are. Larger quantities of water (a tub, pool, or a hose or whatever you can get) would then be your friend while you make arrangements to get the patient out of the situation.
Remember always that even 80 degree water is a lot cooler than normal body temp for humans and animals, and because water absorbs heat efficiently, will do a lot of cooling. Shocking the body with ice is not a good plan and may create a second crisis. So use water that is tepid to cool, not "cold," except that if what you've got is a bottle of ice water putting a little of it on someone while something else is in the works might be fine. You do have to use common sense.
I had my two cats get overwhelmed in the heat a few years ago on a trip through the desert. Both went into the shower and Boo (long hair) then spent some time arguing with me about sitting in front of the fan. I won the argument and he was fine in a little bit.
Finally... If you cool an animal down but are unsure about how serious the situation is, the next thing to do is get proper medical care. I'm all for home nursing but if you are thinking "I wonder if he's okay?!" then it's time for professional guidance. Different people have different levels of knowledge and expertise and you always want to stay within your own.
