AK dog doc...hypothermia in dogs?

[KrisK]

I am wondering if dogs can become hypothermic? My female BC, Cricket, ( 1 1/2 yrs old, 30 lbs), was playing in our fields on a very wet, very windy, cold day. I noticed that she was shivering and persuaded her into the house [she LOVES to be outside!, rain, snow (her favourite!!doesn't matter, so long as it's not dark, outside is where she likes to be]. For the balance of the day she was very lethargic, (DEFINITELY not normal). She was curled up on the couch then jumped up, raced to her crate, and curled up there. Again...not her usual self. She felt cool to the touch, so I covered her up with a blanket. About 4 hours later, she was back to herself. I live in N. Ontario (not quite as cold as Alaska ..but close enough. Cricket is a very lightly built dog and I need to keep her on the trim side because she has had an FHO for severe hip dyslasia. If dogs do get hypothermia, can you tell me what I should watch for? Is is the same as with humans?? Thanks!

[AK dog doc]

Dogs can and do get hypothermia, though it's not as common as hyperthermia is. A well-coated dog who stays dry and is not in the wind will be more resistant to heat loss. Wind (convection) and wet (evaporation) dramatically speed up heat loss, as does laying on a cold surface (conduction). Wind and wet also either mat down or ruffle up the coat, which impairs its ability to trap and hold warm air next to the skin. Obviously body fat is another insulator, as well as providing an energy reserve to draw on to create some heat. Excersise in cold weather burns more calories than the same amount of excersise in warm weather. (It also consumes more water, so be sure your dog has plenty to drink).

 

The signs of hypothermia are pretty much what you'd expect - heat-seeking, hunching the body or curling up, shivering, lethargy, confusion, coma and death. If you're taking your dog out in inclement weather, you might consider a dog jacket or sweater for her (some sled dogs wear them up here, even - there's been a fair amount of hound mixed into the Alaskan husky in order to enhance speed and endurance, but at the cost of some coat.) My dogs would not wear a jacket indefinitely unless supervised (hell, I couldn't even get my mustang to wear her blanket for more than a day or two in a row without somehow shimmying out of it and leaving it, still buckled, out in the pasture.) But if you're going to be with the dog, you can probably get her to keep it on. You can get a cheap sweatshirt and cut off the sleeves if you want to try this without spending much money - they don't fit as well, but it'll give you a chance to see if it's useful in your situation. Bear in mind that if it gets wet, you need to get it off her, since it'll hold cold wet material against her body and speed up her heat loss rather than slowing it down.

 

If your dogs gets hypothermic, you can put some towels or blankets in the dryer to warm up and cover her with those. You don't want to apply heat too fast - both because of the risk of burns, and because too-rapid heating can lead to shock or vasculitis as well as other negative side effects. Hence a heating pad is not as good an option, but you can use a hairdryer set on the "warm" setting (some dogs are very uncomfortable with dryers, but in an emergency they may be unresponsive enough that they'll tolerate it). You can also feed your dog, if she's interested in eating - this proivdes calories to burn for heat, and eating raises metabolism and body temp. Obviously if your dog is wet, dry her off as best you can and then bundle her up.

 

Anyway, that's the thumbnail sketch of hypothermia. Hope that helps!

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

We throw chilled lambs into warm water and then blow dry them. This year I bought one of those crate dryers that groomers use, for this purpose. It has a setting for warm air that is cooler than my blow dryer, to prevent dehydration.

 

Just a random factoid, not really related to the dog issue at hand.

[Lucy Goosey]

I'd take my dog's temp if I were really worried. A rectal temp below 100F would have me concerned.

[KrisK]

Thanks AK dog doc! That was precisely the information I was looking for. :)I hadn't thought about warming up the blankets That makes a great deal of sense. We just had our first dusting of snow..not a whole lot, but Cricket raced around the perimeter of the yard, revelling in all the white stuff. As for putting a sweater on her...that's not likely to happen, she can be 'destructo' dog when she wants to and it would likely be in shreds! I'll be sure to keep a good eye on her while she's out since we never leave our dogs out when we're not at home.

Thanks again,

 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all in the U.S.