The American Beagler Forum

The last couple of times i have had my dog out i have noticed he gets over heated very quickly after about 20 min.of running a rabbit if he goes into a long check he will lay down and breath heavy. this happened to me today and the temp. was around 70. he ran for about 20min. layed down , i went to walk him to some water and it appeard as if his back legs were cramping up so i brought water to him. also his mouth sounds differently lately. this dog is in good shape, ran 3-4 times a week at the least i equally solo him as much as i pack him. the times when he is packed the other dogs do not overheat any suggestions would be appreciated.

How old is this dog and is he on heartworm prevention?

Check the color of his gums next time and press on the tissue of his gums with your finger and see how long it takes for the white goes away. The gums should be a nice pink color. IF they are whitish or whitish/grey, there is DEFINATELY a circulatory problem. When you press on the gums, it should take 1 - 1.5 seconds to return to normal color. Any faster or slower, there is a problem.

This doesn't sound like "heat stroke" at all!

Actually, i checked his gums and the were a healthy looking pink i also felt his nose . like so many other people ( trying to save a buck) i give him iver care, the paste once a month about a pea size, and have done this for quite sometime with all my dogs. the heart worm was my second guess , the dog is 4 i guess i will be making a vet appt. thanks for your input

Keep us posted on his problems.

well i took him to the vet today, he tested negative for heartworm. the vet seemed to think that at some point he did have a heat stroke,he instructed me to lay him up for acouple of months then slowly work him back into the routine. The vet seemed to think he would make a full recovery ,and if he didnt fully recover, he wanted to do some additional testing,as far as his red cell count,or anemia etc. I have been told once a dog has a heat stroke, it will always overheat easily and usually will not make a full recovery whats your thoughts?

It is true that once a dog has been overcome by heat once, they are more suseptable to it in the future.
I am glad that your pup has neg test results for heartworm

Did your vet mention anything about possible seizures?

Here's a site that explains some about heat stroke & heat exhaustion.

Hope it helps! and keep us posted!

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-ang ... esses.html

bunny runner thanks for your help hopefully he does make a full recovery. I guess i will have to keep a close eye on him. the web site you listed on heat stroke was very useful thanks again.