Because the Pug
breed is short-nosed (brachicephalic) they are more prone to heat stress and
exhaustion than other breeds. Pugs can become heat stressed within a short time
on a hot day. Obviously, things to avoid with all dogs are to never leave them
in a car or any other enclosure that does not have air flow coming throughout.
Temperatures inside closed cars that are parked on a 75-80 degree day, can reach
up to over 100 degrees inside the vehicle. Heat exhaustion can affect a Pug who
is acclimated to a certain temperature and is suddenly removed from this
enviroment and placed in a hotter climate or situation that they are not
acclimated to.
Heat stroke signs:
Panting and increased heart, pulse rate and
gums that are reddened. Your Pug may also have a very anxious, strained or
expression that seems to stare.
Your Pug may vomit. Your Pug may collapse and
then fall into a coma. If you were to take his rectal temperature, it may be
106-109 degrees F.
What to do:
It is best to immerse him in cold water or
spray him down with cold water. Rub and massage his skin while flexing and
pulling the legs outward to get blood circulation. You need to get to your
Veterinarian impossible
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Dehydration and
exposure to extreme temperatures can be lethal. Since our four-legged
friends can't sweat they are much less efficient than we are at cooling
down. Add to that a permanent fur coat and you can see that even mild
days can be uncomfortably warm for dogs. *It is best to leave your
pet at home while running errands in your vehicle during the summer
months. Temperatures inside your vehicle can quickly climb to
more than 120 degrees on sunny days and turn them into potential death
traps. Other common causes of heat stroke in dogs include: exercising
strenuously in hot humid weather, suffering from either heart or lung
diseases which interfere with efficient breathing, being muzzled while
being put under a dryer, or being confined to asphalt or concrete
surfaces. Dogs with short snouts (also called brachycephalic) such as
Pugs, Bulldogs, or Pekingese have a harder time staying cool. If your
pet lives outdoors, make sure they have plenty of drinking water
available and a shady place to rest. Signs and
Symptoms of Heat Stroke and Heat Exhaustion include:
- Excessive
Panting
- Rapid
Heartbeat
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Unconsciousness
Treatment:
Treatment must be immediate and include lowering the body temperature
with cool water immersion or by spraying with a garden hose. While
transporting your pet to the veterinarian, place ice packs on the head
to keep the body temperature stable.
Dehydration
This happens when a dog loses fluids faster than he can replace them.
This usually occurs as a result of diarrhea or vomiting, but it can also
be caused when a dog is left outside in the heat with little or no water
to drink. A dog may also be less likely to drink the water he needs if
he is either running a fever or is very ill.
A very obvious
sign that your dog is dehydrated is if there is a lack of skin
elasticity. If you can raise a flap of skin up from the back and it
snaps right back into place, then chances are your dog is not
dehydrated. If, however you raise the skin and it stays up in a ridge
along its back, then your dog is in fact dehydrated.
Another sign of
dehydration is dryness in the mouth. The gums become dry and tacky,
instead of the normal wet and glistening. The saliva may be thick and
tenacious. In severe dehydration, the eyes will appear sunken into the
skull and they will probably show signs of shock and collapse. For
signs of shock, Click here.
Treatment:
If your dog shows obvious signs of dehydration, you should seek
immediate veterinary assistance to include intravenous fluid
replacement. If he appears only mildly dehydrated, you can give him/her
an electrolyte solution, such as children's Pedialyte by bottle or
syringe into the cheek pouch. Check with your vet as to how much fluids
you should give your dog per hour until the dehydration has resolved. If
you have puppies which are dehydrated, contact your vet to determine the
best care to give the pups.
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Originally appeared as Ask the Vet by Dr. Shawn Ashley in Pug Talk Magazine (May/June/93 & July/Aug/92)
Heatstroke is defined as a hyperthermic condition resulting in direct thermal injury to tissues. At risk are animals participating in strenuous activity or those confined in hot humid environments with decreased ventilation and limited access to water; conditions common in the southern United States. Other predisposing factors include obesity, cardiovascular disease, central nervous system disease, extremes of age, and prior heatstroke episodes. Drugs such as tranquilizers, hormones, and heart medications can also predispose to thermoregulatory difficulties. Brachycephalic breeds (which includes Pugs) are prone to heatstroke due to physical characteristics that impair ventilation and beat dissipation.
Hyperthermia occurs with acute rectal temperatures of 109.4F (43C) or persistent temperatures of 106F (41C). At these temperature heatstroke ensues with destruction of cell membranes leading to organ failure. Dehydration leads to thickening of tbe blood (hemoconcentration) and sludging of blood. This sludging of blood causes tissue hypoxia, platelet dysfunction and bleeding disorders.
The sequellas of this cellular destruction, organ hypoxia, and circulatory insufficiency include muscle necrosis, liver damage, gastrointestinal tract destruction, kidney failure, and finally disseminated intravascular coagulation (a terminal bleeding disorder due to loss of clotting factors and platelets). Kidney, liver and bleeding disorders may occur within hours or several days later. The above can all lead to cerebral edema or swelling of the brain causing neuronal/brain damage, blindness, hemorrhages, convulsions and fatal seizures.
Clinical signs of heatstroke include panting, stupor, convulsions, tachycardia, vomiting, diarrhea, and bright red injected gums. Treatment includes decreasing the body temperature slowly by cold water baths, mists, ice packs, and fans.
The body temperature must be monitored closely or hypothermia may be induced. Ancillary therapy will be don on an emergency basis by your veterinarian. It includes intravenous fluids and drugs to control cerebal edema, shivering, shock, secondary bacterial infections, kidney failure, liver, muscle damage, and DIC. Periodic bloodwork will be necessary to monitor organ functions as the hypoxia and bleeding disorders sensitize them to problems in the immediate to long term future. In summary, heatstroke is a complex cascade of events affecting several body systems; it is medical emergency that requires proper prompt treatment.
ATRIOVENTRICULAR HEART BLOCK
The heart, muscles, whole body run off electrical impulses from the brain through various pathways to the responsive organs. One such pathway is located in the heart. The cardiac conduction system consists of the sino-atrial node (SA Node) which triggers the atria of the heart to beat, to the atrioventricular node (AV Node) to the Bundle of His terminating in the Purkinje fibers, all of which regulate the beating of the ventricles of the heart.
If there is any interruption in the electrical impulses the rhythm of the heart is disrupted. Clinical signs vary with the level and degree of this disruption.
Sick sinus syndrome is a disruption at the level of the SA Node and is characterized by long pause between heartbeats, which lead to syncope (fainting). SA block results in very slow heart rates of 40 beats per minute or less. Sudden death resulting from arrhythmia is uncommon, but has been reported in Pugs.
Atrioventricular heart block occurs at the level of the AV Node between the atria and ventricles. There are three degrees of AV Block depending on the severity. Clinical signs consist of weakness, lethargy, exercise intolerance, and other signs of congestive heart failure. Rhythm disturbances are usually seen in middle-aged or older dogs as sequelas of bacterial mendocarditis, infiltrative myocardial disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, hyperkalemia, or with digitalis intoxication. First degree or mild AV block are often caused by increased vagal tone which is common in brachycephalic dog breeds. Complete heart block has also been reported as a congenital defect of Pugs.
Heart blocks may be auscultated but usually are only detected by an electrocardiogram. If there is concern of a heart conduction problem it is recommended an ECG be run prior to sedation or anesthesia. Certain sedative, tranquilizers, anesthetics, and other drugs can be hypertensive and/or produce arrhythmias, thus aggravating this condition.
The treatment of choice with severe heart block is an artificial pacemaker implantation after extensive diagnostics have been performed.
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