It is very important to monitor your pups for overheating during the summer months, exercising, and excessive play.
Signs of overheating:
Heavy Panting
Red Gums
Glazed over eyes
increased heart rate
Unable to walk, staggering or very lethargic
Temp over 104
How to help your dog if overheating or having a heat stroke:
1) Immediately take him out of the heat and into a cool/shaded environment.
2) Apply cool wet towels to their chest, thighs and feet! You can use rubbing alcohol on their feet to help cool them down too.
3) Monitor his internal temp continuously! If his temp is over 104.5 and you can not get it lowered past 104 within 15/20 you NEED to get the vet! Dogs bodies start to shut down after 106/107 and irreversible damage can be done if allowed to get over 109.
4) Offer small amounts of water, a few licks at most.
5) Do no allow your dog to eat or drink fast and run around after. small amount only!
It is best to keep a thermometer with you during the summer months if you are doing lots of outside activities with your dog so if they start to show signs of overheating you can monitor. Also bring a large cooler with water and towels, rubbing alcohol.
There was an article in 2014 that was going around that was scaring owners about not giving your dog ice water. You can have no fear as long as your dog is within normal limits of outside activity and it's temp is slightly raised (up to 103.5) you are fine to give your dog some cool water with ice.
Let me know if you guys have any questions :)
A RESPONSE TO THE NO ICE WATER FOR DOGS:
It is OK to give your dog water with a few ice cubes!!!!
A few owners have had some concern to whether or not the article " NO ICE WATER FOR DOGS, (http://wendtworthcorgis.wordpress.com/2010/07/31/no-ice-water-for-dogs-please-read-asap/)" is true or not?!?!
After speaking with other vets and based on my knowledge of being a technician this is true to an extent (Don't allowed your dog to drink excessive amounts of almost pure ICE water if over heated or having heat stroke).
There were extenuating circumstances in the article below. The dog was overheated by being in a crate, in a car, and just coming out of an activity. It probably drank too much water and super super fast, and ate too fast and there was probably TOO much ice to water ratio (which can even bad for us).
