Urgent Issues

HEAT STRESS

Bulldogs can be very prone to heat stress. Always make sure they have free access to water and shade. If you can, find out about getting a Cool Coat made these are fantastic for keeping bulldogs cool during hot weather, you soak them in water, can keep them in a bag in the fridge and put them on. The dog does not get wet but certainly stays cooler, of course do not leave them on the dog and go out as they dry out and turn stiff.


Severely hot weather can be fatal to a bulldog. They don’t even need to be moving about in it to succumb to the heat. Please make sure that any exercise is given early in the morning or late in the evening during hot weather.

Don’t allow your bulldog to lay out in the sun for long periods, as they do not know when they have had enough. Be aware it is not just the sun but the humidity factor.


Any exercise will make him pant but watch for when the panting becomes ‘heaving’. This is the earliest sign he is getting too hot. When the panting has become loud and is becoming a roar, he has already become too hot and the outcome can be fatal.


Stages of overheating:

Your bulldog will ‘heave’ as he pants

Your bulldog will begin to ‘roar’ (sounds like severe asthma)

His tongue will become floppy and red in colour

His body temperature will rise (normal is 38.5)

His airway will swell and his throat become full of white foam

He will quickly become exhausted and fighting for breath

He could die

How to prevent overheating:

Do not allow your bulldog to lie out in the summer sun for long periods

Do not walk your bulldog in the heat of the day

Keep your bulldog inside or in shade if it is very hot or humid

How to deal with overheating:

Lower his body temperature. Always ensure you have ice at hand.

Pour cold water over your dog, especially around the head. Not freezing water or you could induce shock.

If possible, stand him in a cold bath and rub ice over him until the breathing is less laboured. If you have a crate use it, put it in the shade, put a wet towel on the bottom, spray your bulldog down put him/her in the crate and turn a fan on full.

Clear the airway.

Do not allow him to drink a lot of water – this will cause vomiting.

Keep him calm and quiet.

Once you have reduced his panic, keep him in a quiet place and keep a close eye on him.

If this doesn’t work – get to a vet ASAP. Put a cold towel under him for the journey.

Bulldogs overheat quickly because of the shape of their throats. Their soft palates are almost always too long and when they get hot they cannot pant sufficiently to keep their body temperature down. Their attempts to pant quickly cause the production of foam which blocks the throat and causes laboured breathing and eventually they will begin to roar as they attempt to break through the blockage.

Stress can also bring on the same symptoms and should be treated the same.

 

BEE STINGS

If your Bulldog is stung around the face, mouth or throat area do NOT wait and see!!!! They WILL swell up and a bulldog can not afford to compromise its airways, this could very well be death. You must get antihistamines from your Veterinarian.

 


Contact Details

Kathy Brown
Christchurch, NZ
Email : [email protected]