Vets remind B.C. owners to look out for pets during heatwave

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — As parts of B.C. swelter through the current heatwave, vets are reminding people to check on their best friends as well, as overheating in pets is something to watch out for.

Dr. Carsten Bandt, a veterinary specialist, says any exercise activity for dogs right now does have an increased risk of getting heat stroke.

“We do see panting in less severe cases, and then as they get more overheated we see patients collapsing. They get a cardiovascular collapse when their blood pressure plummets, and more severe cases can get comatose.”

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Panting can often be the first sign of heat stroke.

“They won’t be able to walk anymore. And later on, some of the dogs will go into a multi-organ dysfunction syndrome where they may have severe diarrhea or vomiting. In the last 12 hours we have two cases coming in. One was in a car, another one was just going on a quick hike in the morning and they all got a weak at running.”

He says treating dogs with heat stroke quickly increases the chance of a good outcome, adding it’s best not to wait until your dog is overheated and collapses to see a medical professional.