10/07/2026
Last night I witnessed something I never want to experience again.
At around 9pm, one of my clients called me in absolute panic because her dog couldnāt breathe. She has recently had surgery and is currently unable to leave the house, so I rushed straight over.
What I found was every dog ownerās worst nightmare.
His tongue was blue. He was vomiting, had severe diarrhoea, and was desperately struggling for air. I genuinely didnāt know if he was going to survive the journey to the emergency vet.
I got him to the out-of-hours emergency vet as quickly as I could. He was taken straight through, sedated, intubated to help him breathe, and placed into an incubator overnight.
The diagnosis was severe heatstroke.
What has shocked me the most is that he hadnāt even been walked that day.
Let that sink in.
Heatstroke doesnāt only happen to dogs being exercised. It can happen inside the home, in the garden, or simply because the temperature is too high and their bodies can no longer regulate themselves. By the time the obvious signs appear, they are already in a life-threatening emergency.
The emergency vet told us that if we had arrived any later, he would likely have died.
As someone who works with dogs every day, I am begging people to take this weather seriously. Please donāt assume your dog is safe just because they havenāt been for a walk. Keep them cool, make sure they always have access to fresh water, avoid unnecessary exercise, and know the signs of heatstroke.
No dog has ever died from missing a walk.
Dogs have died because they became too hot and were unable to cool themselves down.
Thankfully, after a terrifying night in intensive care, he is now out of the incubator, and weāre hoping heāll be well enough to come home today.
If this post stops just one person from taking the risk, then itās worth sharing.
Please donāt underestimate this heat. It can turn into a life-threatening emergency far quicker than most people realise.
