Heat stroke in dogs: the ten minutes that decide it

Jaipur crosses 45 degrees most summers. Every year that heat kills dogs that could have been saved, and almost always the difference was the first ten minutes.

Know the signs before you need them

Frantic, noisy panting that does not settle in the shade
Thick, ropey drool
Bright red or brick coloured gums
Wobbling, stumbling, or a dog that sits down and will not get up
Vomiting or diarrhoea, sometimes with blood
Collapse, then seizures

A dog does not sweat. It cools through panting and through its paw pads, and both fail fast in dry Rajasthan heat.

The first ten minutes

Get the dog out of the sun and into shade or an air conditioned room.

Pour cool, not cold water over the body, especially the belly, the armpits, the groin and the paws. Keep pouring. A running tap or a hose is better than a bucket left standing.

Put a fan on the wet dog. Evaporation is what actually removes the heat.

Offer small amounts of water if the dog is conscious and can swallow. Do not force water into a dog that is barely responsive.

Then drive. Cooling on the way, not cooling instead of going.

The mistake that makes it worse

Ice water and ice packs. It feels like the strongest thing you can do and it is wrong. Ice constricts the surface blood vessels, which traps heat in the core and can push the dog into shock. Cool water, moving air, that is it.

The second mistake is stopping too early. Once the dog seems brighter, people stop cooling. Core temperature keeps climbing after the collapse. Keep going until you reach a vet.

Who is most at risk in this city

Pugs, Bulldogs, Shih Tzus and every other flat faced breed, which should not be walked outdoors in a Jaipur May at all between ten and six. Also overweight dogs, dogs over eight, thick double coated breeds like Huskies and Saint Bernards, and any dog with heart or airway disease.

Never leave a dog in a parked car, not for two minutes, not with the windows cracked. A car in a Jaipur car park reaches 60 degrees inside.

Why it is still an emergency after the dog looks fine

Heat stroke damages kidneys, gut lining and clotting. A dog can walk in looking recovered and be in kidney failure by the next morning. Any dog that has collapsed in heat needs bloods and fluids, not just a cool room.