Heat Stroke and Hot Weather 
Heat Stroke and Hot Weather Warning: Hot weather can cause heat stroke and even death if you don’t use common sense. An animal going into heat stroke may collapse or appear very depressed. It may be panting frantically. The gums may be bright red. At any sign of heat stroke, use a fan to cool the air and wet the animal down with cool water.
Be sure your animals have access to shade (it’s twenty degrees cooler than in direct sunlight) and plenty of water.
Long-haired dogs bred for colder climates, such as St. Bernards and Huskies, need regular brushing in hot weather to help thin out their undercoat of fur.
Commercial dry pet food creates internal heat. The combination of hot weather and dry food can contribute to a heat overload. If you haven’t done it before, hot weather is the time for sure to introduce more moisture into an animal’s diet. That means green beans, spinach, broccoli, peas, and other green vegetables. Ideally, feed your animal a home-prepared diet.
Don’t run or exercise your dog in blazing heat. Dogs don’t sweat. It is easy for them develop a heat overload that can lead to heat stroke.
The environment your animal lives in can exert a positive or negative health influence. We constantly put animals in situations for which they were not originally bred or acclimated. Asking them to perform in such an environment puts them in a terribly stressful situation.
An example is a St. Bernard, with a big, heavy coat, originally bred and suited for the Swiss Alps, who is brought to live in the Southwest. Then he is fed a high-protein diet. It’s like putting a high-octane gasoline in a car not made for it and then racing the motor. The animal suffers terribly in hot climates. When it’s hot, be sure to give your animals more cooling food such as tofu, fresh vegetables, and fruits.
But with Chihuahuas, dogs acclimated to the heat, you need to take another tack. I have actually seen a Chihuahua go into a coma after being left in an air-conditioned house. The breed doesn’t tolerate cold very well. These dogs need more heat and concentrated food such as chicken and lean meat.
I see a lot of heat stroke even during the Florida winters. The weather is sunny and pleasant, the temperature in the seventies. People will leave their animals in the car and close the windows, thinking there is no danger. Yet the majority of my heat stroke cases are in the winter, involving northerners who come to Florida for the season. The weather may not be sizzling, but don’t think it’s not hot in the car.
Don’t leave any animal in a car unless someone is sitting in it and you leave on the air conditioner or the windows are wide open. Even with the air conditioner running, it may not be entirely safe. As an example, one March a client came to the clinic to see me and left his two dogs alone in the car with the air conditioner running. He was in the clinic for twenty minutes. Shortly after he left the car, the engine stopped. When he returned to the car, he encountered an emergency situation. The younger dog was alert, but you could see it was experiencing heat stroke. The older dog was much more critical, and we came close to losing him. We had to do intravenous fluids, enemas, and alcohol baths. Happily we got them both around, but it was a good example about not leaving animals alone in a car.
If the temperature is over 90 degrees and the animal is showing signs of being bothered by the heat, such as panting or drinking excessively, apply some rubbing alcohol to the pads of the feet. This will help bring down the temperature.