Warning signs
- Constant or extreme panting and rapid breathing
- Heavy drooling
- Very red, pale or abnormal-looking gums
- Restlessness followed by weakness or lethargy
- Vomiting or diarrhoea
- Staggering, confusion or muscle tremors
- Seizures, collapse or unconsciousness
What to do immediately
Suspected heatstroke needs emergency veterinary care. Start cooling straight away while someone calls the nearest vet or emergency hospital. Do not wait for every warning sign, a thermometer reading or a particular water temperature before acting.
- Stop activity and move into shade or air conditioning. Keep your dog out of a hot, stationary car while you start first aid.
- Wet the body and add airflow. Use available water cooler than your dog, allowing it to reach the coat and skin. A fan or air conditioning helps cooling. Keep water out of the nose and mouth. Do not wrap the dog in a heavy wet towel, which can trap heat.
- Protect the airway. Do not put an unconscious or struggling dog in a bath where they could inhale water. Offer small drinks only if your dog is fully alert and swallowing normally; never force water into their mouth.
- Arrange urgent transport as cooling begins. Tell the clinic whether your dog is conscious, able to stand and breathing normally, and what cooling you have started. Follow its instructions for travel and continued cooling, with the car air conditioning running.
Starting cooling before transport does not mean waiting at home for your dog to recover. Cooling and arranging veterinary help should happen together. Even if panting settles or your dog seems brighter, keep the veterinary visit: internal injury may not be obvious immediately.
For background, see RSPCA Australia’s heatstroke first aid and SRUC’s research explanation of prompt cooling before transport.
Dogs at higher risk
Flat-faced breeds, overweight dogs, very young or older dogs, thick-coated dogs and those with heart or breathing disease may overheat more easily. Exercise, humidity, poor ventilation and hot cars greatly increase risk.
Preventing heat illness
- Walk in the cool early morning or evening and shorten exercise in humid conditions.
- Provide continual shade and fresh water.
- Never leave a dog in a parked car, even with windows partly open.
- Check pavement with your hand and choose shaded or grassy routes.
- Carry water and plan a cool retreat before outdoor trips.
What to say when you call the clinic
Tell the team where you are, what exercise or heat exposure occurred, whether your dog is conscious and able to stand, and how their breathing looks. Explain what cooling you have started and your estimated travel time. Have someone else call while you cool the dog if possible. Do not wait to obtain a thermometer reading before acting.
Make the next walk easier to abandon
Before leaving, choose a route with shade and an easy turnaround, take water and check that your return transport will be cool. A hand-check of the pavement is only a rough surface check; it does not establish that exercising is safe. Humidity, exertion and the individual dog's breathing matter too.
On a hot or humid day, replace strenuous chasing with a short toilet outing and a quiet indoor activity. Stop when the dog begins struggling, rather than trying to finish a planned distance. Keep the nearest emergency clinic's number in your phone before you need it.