Tuesday afternoon I headed out of town to visit my mom and take some paperwork to my sister. After I left, Don put the dogs in the front yard while he mowed. He didn't think anything would happen...it was cooler than it's been in weeks and he was right there with them.
Sadly, he realized something was wrong with Molly when he brought the dogs in that evening. She was very lethargic and immediately began to drink excessive amounts of water (they had water in the front yard) which promptly came back up. Molly refused her supper, but again, Don didn't think much of it because she does that from time to time. He gave her a treat, which she did eat, so he went to bed not realizing that Molly was in need of veterinary emergency care.
When he got up yesterday he found Molly laid flat out on the floor downstairs and blood everywhere. He immediately rushed her to our local vet where she was diagnosed with Heat Stroke. Ultrasound showed her colon and bladder were full of blood, but the vet said Molly would pull through. They put her on an IV and Don came home. I got home last night and we both spent the evening worrying, especially when we researched Heat Stroke online.
Early this morning Don called the vet to see if Molly had made it through the night and was told she was doing much better. He decided to leave work early so he could stop and see her, plus discuss what we'd learned with the vet (we were concerned about organ failure/damage, blood clotting, etc.). What a relief to hear that they had downgraded her condition to Heat Exhaustion instead of Heat Stroke! Molly had eaten some kibble and kept it down and when Don went back to see her, Molly was up wagging her tail and happy to see her "Daddy".
She's still having bloody diarrhea so they're keeping her through tonight, but Molly should come home tomorrow. I can't wait! Even though there are still 17 dogs here, the house seems empty without Miss Molly.
Please, be very careful with your pets in this hot weather! We thought we were careful because we've been giving all the animals cool water, ice and making sure they had fans, shade, etc. If you notice your pet acting odd in ANY way, stop and make sure they are not to hot. Here are some signs to watch for...
Symptoms of Heat Exhaustion:
- Heavy breathing
- Anxiousness
- Deliriousness
- Dark red gums
- Restlessness
- Dizziness or confusion
- Thick saliva
- Inattentiveness
- Increased salvation followed by dry gums
- Weakness
- Very high temperature
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
