dog and heat stroke

[david]

anybody ever had this happen how do you know this happens?

[Tim H]

My dad lost 2 to heat stroke when I was younger. They got loose in the middle of the summer and ran through the night and into the next day. The heat had already done it's damage before we found them laid up and unable to move. They died later that day.

Common sense will prevent it. If it's hot out, limit the time running or run in the early morning or evening when it's cool. Give plenty of water. If you think your dog is showing any signs, get them home and get them cool. An extra 15 minutes of running isn't worth the risk.

[JIMMIE ABSHIRE]

DAVE PROBALY MY BEST BITCH AT THE TIME WAS DONE THIS WAY MY
BETTER JUDGEMENT WAS OVERRULED TO WIN A 10.00 DOLLAR TROPHY
MY OPINION IS THIS ONCE YOU BLOE EM UP THEY GET WOBBLY FIRST AND WILL NEVER BE 100% AGAIN IN HOT WEATHER .TO BAD PEOPLE EVEN CONSIDER IT WHEN ITS SO HOT IN KY I HAVE NOT RAN IN A WEEK OR SO ,JUST MAKE SURE PLENTY OF WATER ON HAND

[david]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WOBBLY OR WHAT DO THEY DO WHEN YOU CAN REALLY AFFECT THE PERFORMANCE?

[david]

ALSO JIMMIE WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FEMALE?

[JIMMIE ABSHIRE]

DAVID BY WOBBLY THEYGET REAL LOOSE IN REAR END LOOKS LIKE THEY GOT U-JOINTS IN THERE HIPS ,SWAY FROM SIDE TO SIDE -ANYONE THATS EXPERIANCED IT WILL TELL YA ITS NOT PRETTY, I HAVE ALWAYS CALLED IT BLOWING EM UP-CONDITIONING IN KY SUMMER TAKES A LITTLE COMMON SENSE

[WrongsideRandy]

I also had a female that was a ARHA PP and LP Champion that I destoryed by running in the heat a few years back at a fun trial. She was running and came out across a lane and had no balance, was falling over then she went into what seemed to me to be a seizure......biting her tongue, stiffening her legs out, panting very hard and glassed eyes. I got her out of the field and to a creek then on to the air conditioning where she recovered and was ok.

Several days later I took her out for an evening run and as soon as her and my males jumped a rabbit I heard her hammering for about 2 minutes then she just shut up...a few minutes later after not hearing her I went looking and found her where she had stopped barking......having what seemed like another seizure, but this time very BAD. I was alone and laid her in the cab of the truck, cranked up the air and headed home. I had called home and told the wife I was gonna pick her up and head to the vet.....by the time I got home (10 minutes) she was fine again.

After a few more tries in the field with the same problem, even on cool days, I decided I would never run her again. I was starting to worry that my pride was gonna kill her.

I took this female to the vet and had numerous blood tests done. She isnt diabetic.......and they tried everything to find out what was wrong. They ended up deciding it was seizures.......and gave her medicine for it that bounced her off the wall. I quit giving it and brought her in the house to live as a housedog and monitor for seizures in the home that we may have been missing in the kennel. She has never seizured in the house.

Some say its called running fits.......but I am convinced I destroyed this dog by running her in 90-95 degree heat in the middle of the day, I have no doubt she had a heat stroke and it did severe damage to something.......wasnt a wise choice on my part and I regret it to this day.

Take care,
Randy

[Big Dog]

A lot of folks mischaracterize heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Most dogs that get wobbly are suffering from heat exhaustion which can also do permanent damage, if one has an actual heat stroke it will more than likely not make it out of the woods and if it does it will probably die due to some type of organ failure in the near future. Once a dog is a casualty of heat exhaustion he/she will always be more susceptible to having future problems in the heat. If a dog actually strokes out it will more than likely suffer some serious brain damage in the process. I have had one dog get too hot and she was never the same in warm weather again. They will act as though they are dizzy, sometimes walking sideways while trying to go forward. It will look like they have lost their coordination as they will stagger some like a drunk person. If things really go to far you can do irreversable damage to thier kidneys and other organs. It just isn't worth it to me, so I have not run dogs in almost 14 days now. The low here last night was only around 83 degrees with 100% humidity. I saw a dog stroke out at a hunt about 2 -3 years ago. He bled from every orafice on his body, and I believe he died before he made it to the vet, it definitely wasn't a pretty sight.

Big Dog

[Eric Estep]

I have lost 2 to heat strokes. 1 didn't make it out of the woods and the made it about 4 hours after I found her. I had been running the hounds every day in the heat for only 3-4 hours but on this day I ran longer, about 6 hours. They were half sisters, of which I had a full sister to 1 of them that couldn't take the heat either. Needless to say I don't run in that kind of heat any more. Thanks Eric

[hunter 101]

just curious jimmie what happened to your female i have dogs get wobbly but seem to affect them it seems like they get real tired from heat but heat stroke it more serious than a wobbly rear end.

[JIMMIE ABSHIRE]

HUNTER BITCH WENT ON TO CHAMP OUT BUT SUCKED WHEN HOT GREAT BRED BITCH SOLD HER ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO,MY FRIEND IS RUNNING HER TO DEATH IN EARLY AM HE SAID SHES FINE ,I PERSONALLY DONT LIKE THE FACT THAT MY STUPITY CAUSED THIS,
JUST MY LUCK THOUGH I COULD SELL A DEER RUNNER THAT WOULD QUIT RUNNING EM BEFORE NEW OWNER GOT HER HOME, ME PERSONNALY FIRST YEAR OF MY LIFE I HAVE NOT RUN YEAR ROUND ,MAYBE AS I AM GETTING OLDER I DONT ENJOY HEAT EIETHER
ALMOST TIME TO TRIAL JUST NOW GETTING FIRED BACK UP ,MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH 70 HOUR WORK WEEKS