07/23/2023
Cooling myths are harming our dogs and we HAVE to counter them
In a recent Vet Compass study less than a quarter of dogs with heat stroke were given any sort of cooling treatment before they were taken to the vet and only 24% of those were cooled with the recommended methods of cold water immersion or soaking and a fan.
And of them only 10% needed any further cooling by the vet by the time they got there, which shows just how effective it is.
But for more than half of the dogs whose owners did try to cool them, outdated methods like water soaked towels were used.
And there has been NO increase in the use of the recommended methods in the last three years, despite this advice being in the public domain since at least 2016.
The insidious messaging that cold or ice water is dangerous and cooling must be slow and steady is seriously harming dogs
The advice is very clear;
🥵 Cool before transport - getting your dog to the vet is important but starting the cooling process before you travel will bring their temperature down as soon and as fast as possible, which is what will make the biggest difference to their survival.
🥵 Cold water immersion is safe for young healthy dogs and the recommended method for cooling them down. For older or ill dogs, use evaporative cooling (get them wet and in a breeze).
🥵 Ice and cold water are safe. Any water is better than non but don't be afraid of using really cold temperatures
🥵 And thick coats do NOT keep them cool!
Read the summary of these findings from the Hot Dogs - canine heatstroke education for dog owners team here;
https://heatstroke.dog/2023/07/20/myth-busting-cooling-hot-dogs/
The summary from the Vet Compass team;
https://www.rvc.ac.uk/vetcompass/news/the-rvc-urges-owners-of-hot-dogs-to-cool-first-transport-second
The published study;
https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/10/7/465
