24/06/2026
🤓 Who knew
📝 Heat-related illness (HRI) occurs when you dog's body gets so hot, it can no longer
control its own temperature downwards again.
The body temperature basically get's so high, they can no longer thermoregulate.
🚑It is considered a medical emergency.
✏️There are two main triggers of heat-related illness in dogs:
🌞🌲Environment: environmental heat-related illness triggered by exposure to hot environments (for example, a hot vehicle, building or ambient environmental conditions)
🐕🏃Exercise : exertional heat-related illness triggered by physical activity typically in (but not limited to) hot conditions
🐕🐕🦺🐺🐩🐶Some dogs are more at risk than others for HRI :
Labrador Retriever; Chow Chow, English Bulldog, French Bulldog, Dogue de Bordeaux, Greyhound, Pug, English Springer Spaniel, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Golden Retriever
Obese dogs, Giant breeds, long-haired dogs, dogs with thick wavy coats,
puppies, dogs under 2 years, senior dogs and dogs with chronic health conditions.
🚫Signs that your dog is too hot and is struggling to cool down:
🟠Mild Signs - Continuous panting, tiredness, lethargy, stiffness, unwilling to move
🔴Moderate Signs - Vomiting, diarrhoea, drooling, difficulty breathing, single seizure,muscle spasms or shivering
⚫Severe Signs - vomiting blood,, blood in faeces, blood in any bodily fluid, uncoordinated and clumsy, multiple seizures, comatose
What can you do :
🌊🌊Cold-water immersion is therefore recommended for young, healthy and conscious dogs -
Cool as a matter of urgency, and use whatever water you have easy access to that is cooler than the animal.
Cooler water will cool quicker, but in an emergency use what is in easy reach quickly. That said, if you're using a hose pipe check you've run through any hot water (especially if the hose has been in the sun) before using it on the dog.
UK tap water is typically the ideal temperature.
💦💦 whilst evaporative cooling (spraying the skin and coat with water in combination with air movement) is recommended for geriatric or comatose animals or those with comorbidities
Then straight to the Vet
Wet then Vet
❌ Don't cover your dog in wet towels - this can inhibit cooling
❌ Don't wait until you find the perfect cold water - cool water will help the cooling process
❌ Don't place cooling coats on a dog with HRI - cool water immersion or evaporative cooling is key
❌ Don't believe that just by stopping exercise your dog's body will naturally stop producing heat - their body temperature will continue to rise even if you have stopped mid exercise
💻🤓Do your research:
Bouchama and Knochel, 2002;
Johnson et al, 2006; Hemmelgarn and Gannon, 2013
Hanel et al, 2016
Hall et al, 2020a