Do you know any Emergency C..

#

Emergency Care Tips For Your Pet

This is not intended as a substitute for expert veterinary care. Ask your own veterinarian clinic if they hold pet first-aid classes for owners. Many are now doing this, sometimes in partnership with other clinics in their area.

Heat Stroke, Hyperthermia

Pets cannot tolerate high temperatures as well as people can and they rely on rapid breathing to exchange hot air for cool air. Pets' temperatures are higher than ours -- a dog and cat have an average temperature of 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Common situations and features that can predispose a pet to overheating:

1. Being left in a car in warm weather, even if the windows are left slightly open.

2. Having a muzzle on while a pet is being groomed, and/or leaving the muzzle on while a pet is put in a drying cage.

3. Short-nosed breeds such as pugs, bulldogs, boxers and Persian cats.

4. Any pet with an airway disease.

5. Being confined outside without shade or an adequate supply of fresh water.

Suggested treatment when this condition occurs:

1. Mild Hyperthermia can sometimes be treated by simply removing a pet from the situation and/or environment where overheating has occurred, and placing it in a cool place in the shade or in an air-conditioned room.

2. If a pet is unsteady on its feet and you have moved it to a cooler location, you can start cooling it by placing cool water on the feet. Rubbing alcohol on the skin of your pet's stomach (with a fan blowing on the pet) can also aid in cooling.