AS Sarawakians scurry for refuge from the blistering heat and humid weather amidst the blizzard of last-minute preparations for Hari Gawai, spare a thought for our cats and dogs – the faithful, furry, four-legged companions that cannot speak for themselves but are depending on their owners and adopted families to help them stay alive and comfortable in this heat.
AT PLAY?: Molly - a long-term canine resident at the SSPCA – paws at water in the communal drinking container. In addition to panting, dogs and cats also release heat through their paws and dabbing alcohol over their feet pads can help to cool them down.
As with cases involving heatstroke in people, one of the most tragic lessons about heatstroke in pets is that it is relatively easy to prevent but people don’t often think about it until it’s too late.
Despite the best intentions of pet owners and caretakers, lack of knowledge about particular animal species and breeds which may make them more predisposed towards heatstroke as well as lack of education about the causes, symptoms and treatment for heatstroke in pets may inadvertently prevent them from providing the best health care for their animals.
Thankfully, when it comes to preventing and treating heatstroke in pets, many of the same rules and commonsense principles for preventing and treating heatstroke in people apply.
“In terms of physiology, humans and animals have almost the same characteristics,” said Dr Ngo Su Ping, (DVM, UPM), a full-time veterinarian with Sarawak Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA), a non-profit non-government organisation dedicated to animal welfare and promoting animal rights.
“When it comes to heatstroke, it’s not surprising there are also a lot of similarities.”
thesundaypost met Dr Ngo recently just past noon at the SSPCA’s shelter situated at 6½ Mile, just off the busy highway connecting Kuching city and Kota Sentosa.
Even with an open-wall layout, insulated roofs and large fans whirling overhead at full blast, the waves of heat rolling through the main areas housing the shelter’s 82 dogs and 135 cats feels only just bearable on human skin.
During hot weather, the SSPCA will regularly hose down the roofing and floor of the areas housing the animals to keep temperatures down. The shelter’s small but the dedicated team of staff and volunteers do their best to make sure the animals are as comfortable as possible.
“These last few weeks, the risk of heatstroke is greater because of the hot weather,” Dr Ngo said.
“Thankfully, the shelter hasn’t had any cases of heatstroke yet.”
Vulnerable groups
According to Dr Ngo, the larger the animal’s size, the more likely it is to be prone to heatstroke — Rottweilers for example.
“Geriatric (or older) pets and young kittens and puppies, overweight or obese animals, breeds with naturally thick coats, and those with flat-type facial structures like Persian cats, Shih-Tzus, pugs and Pekinese dogs are also vulnerable,” she added.
Symptoms of heatstroke
Like humans, animals are at risk of heatstroke if their physical bodies are not able to regulate body temperature effectively.
“The average body temperature for dogs and cats should be between 38.5 to 39.5 Celcius,” Dr Ngo said.
“Anything higher than 41 Celcius is considered heatstroke.”
Owners should seek veterinary help as soon as possible if they suspect their pets were suffering from heatstroke to minimise grim consequences.
“If left untreated, heatstroke can damage the liver and kidney and eventually cause these organs to fail,” Dr Ngo explained.
Dogs don’t have sweat glands, so the main way they release heat is by panting. Cats also pant as well to cool down. Thus, excessive panting is often the most visible indicator that a cat or dog may be distressed by heat. Dehydration is usually also an early indication of possible heatstroke.
“You can tell if a dog or cat is dehydrated by pinching the skin between its shoulders,” Dr Ngo added.
“If the area doesn’t return to its normal shape quickly, or it takes a few seconds for it to do so, it’s a sign the animal is dehydrated.”
Other signs of heatstroke are melaena (black or bloody faeces caused by internal bleeding) and haematemesis (vomiting of blood).
“It’s important to get the animal to the vet as soon as possible as the prognosis for the animal is usually not good if heatstroke reaches the stage where melaena and haematemesis occur,” she said.
First-aid for pets
As in heatstroke involving human beings, treating heatstroke in pets requires returning the body’s core temperatures to its normal parameters.
Dr Ngo cautioned this process must be carried out gradually as a sudden or drastic change in the animal’s body temperature can be detrimental.
“You can wipe the animal’s fur with a wet towel to help cool it down or wrap the animal in wet towels. You can also dab alcohol onto the animal’s feet pads as dogs and cats also release heat through their paws,” she said
Moving the animal to a cooler shaded area and turning on the fan or air-conditioner is also advisable.
She urged pet owners not to delay in seeking veterinary help as soon as possible if they suspected that their beloved companions had heatstroke as the longer they are left untreated, the more severe the damage it could cause.
Prevention measures
Taking care of our furry four-footed companions in hot weather conditions requires constant awareness as well as a good dose of commonsense, such as making sure your pet always has lots of water to drink and keeping outdoor pets in shaded or roofed areas with good ventilation.
“We must prepare the animal’s living environment to be as comfortable as possible,” Dr Ngo said.
“Give more water, prepare more shade, turn on the fan, and so on. As much as possible, people should also try to control the humidity.
“For animals with thick fur, owners may also want to trim their coats so the animal feels more comfortable.”
Some owners give their pets bowls of cool water to drink during warm weather, which Dr Ngo says is all right as long as the water is not ice cold and the animals are not given too much to drink.
This is because it can result in interferring with the animal’s metabolism.
At this point, thesundaypost stopped to confess to giving dogs ice cubes to chase around the floor with on hot days but Dr Ngo reassured that this is relatively harmless.
“Ice cubes are ok because they don’t melt fast enough,” she said.
Dr Ngo strongly emphasised it is never all right to leave an animal in the car during hot weather, even if it is for a short while and even with the car windows screen down a little. Even five minutes in the car is more than enough to cause heat damage to an animal.
She also discouraged people from walking their dogs in hot weather between 10am and early evening.
“Any time earlier than 10am and after six or 7pm is good as the weather would not be as hot then.”