My dog, Moab, a black lab mutt, has come to work with me almost everyday for the past 7 years. Friday night around 11 pm he got violently ill and we rushed him to the 24 hour vet. After lots of testing and probing, they said he was suffering from heat stroke! It makes no sense but they said they had 4 others cases that day.
It did get warm quick, jumped from the low 70s to 90. We were at 3 jobsites – all had plenty of shade. At the last one, he seemed normal – slept under the truck or trailer or found cool spot under a bush. No signs whatsoever that anything was abnormal.
As we head into summer don’t forgot your dogs!! Give them lots of water, ice, shade, a fan maybe. It is still a little touch and go with Moab but it looks like he’ll pull through – not sure of the long term damage though. Not looking forward to the vet bill!
Thanks for any thoughts and prayers for my best friend!
Eric
Replies
Give him plenty of doggy treats and attention, he'll pull through just fine.
We all gotta remember they don't have sweat glands, and hanging thier toung out only goes so far. I think keeping plenty of ice around is a really good suggestion.
Take care!
~ Ted W ~
Cheap Tools! - MyToolbox.net
Meet me at House & Builder!
Also a good brush and cut, as you head into the heat of summer is also a good idea.
their paws are sweat glands too...
dry like dust bowl dirt... yur bud is dehydrating...
more than normal salvitating is a good sign too...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
>>>>more than normal salvitating is a good sign too... Rex does that whenever I have food that I'm not sharing with him!
Creates a puddle on the floor. ML
typical...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
I hope he's feeling better soon.
I don't know if its a fact or the same for dogs, but I noticed that once you had HS or Frostbite, it seems you are more susceptible there after. So FWIW, you may want to keep that in mind.
My 4 muttlies get ice cubes to munch on when it's hot , they love em.
View Image
That's rough.
Best wishes for a speedy and full recovery for Moab.
I usually take my fur ball to work with me and would be very upset if something happened to him. Here my biggest concern is when I leave him in the truck while I am inside buying stuff. On the hot days I park where solar gain is minimized, leave the windows part way down, give him a bowl of water and I wet him down before I go inside.
Sorry to hear about Moab, hope he gets well soon, so that he can get back to work. Here's a picture of my dog who also works with me. The weather here is probably different from yours, but i did make this pet shade on my truck for him when I'm picking up supplies or when he has to be contained on a job site. The pet shade also comes in very handy for picking up cabinet grade plywood. My dog is the one in the middle. He also waits around the jobsite cooler, to help himself to ice whenever someone opens it.
Is that a Vizsla? Cool doggie "camper".
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
What's a Vizsla ? I made that doggie camper to fit my telescoping Thule rack.
"What's a Vizsla ?"
Well, if you gotta ask, . . . ;-)
Actually, here's one (Dog Watson) helping out My Lovely Assistant.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
I learned something new, Vizsla. Did a google search and they sound like my type of dog. My dog is actually a Lab, he doesn't have optimal colorings for a lab, but still a Lab. Maybe i'll get a Vizsla for my next dog. Probably not anytime soon though.
"Maybe i'll get a Vizsla for my next dog."
They're serious pointers, lots of energy and great family pooches.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Forgot to attach pics, oops.
Mitch
http://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
"What's a Vizsla ?"
If I had a dollar for every time I heard that.....
So does your V get up on the bench by himself? Sometimes I think my V(Tess) has a little mountain goat in her.
Tess is my first Vizsla. Smart as a whip, unending energy, and a lot of fun(not to mention, a true velcro-vizsla). The rope pic is when she was about 9 months old, took her all of 15 minutes to destroy. The field pic is her second time out for pheasant(1 year old), she double-teamed the rooster I'm holding with my brother's english setter.
Mitch
http://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
Interesting pet shade, I don't recall ever seeing anything similar.
Moab actually works with EricP who I am sure appreciates your sentiments.
GREAT NEWS!! My local vet misread the x-ray and there is no tumor! He came home this afternoon and is doing amazingly well. They now think it may have been been an anaphylactic (bee sting) shock instead of heat stroke. Talk about a roller coaster ride. I'm not even sure what to think anymore.
I do know that he is at home now and even pooped a little, which is great news because his GI tract was not kicking in before.
Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers. Hopefully the ride is almost over.
Eric
Edited 4/28/2009 4:10 pm ET by EricP
That thar's a happy pup. Glad it was a false alarm, and he's ok.
Naw, it all good. A handsome dog like that will pull through. Glad it's working out.
WHEW!!!!!
sortta...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
Heat stroke>arrhythmia>tumor>anaphylaxis??????Bizarre.
wunder if somebody was padding...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
Spin the bottle? Pin the tail on the donkey? I just talked one of my nurse friend out of giving her cat morphine to help him die. Morphine can actually stimulate a cat...just the opposite of people. Could be the dog got into something at the job site that no one knows about, having an unexpected effect. They like rat poison, radiator fluid, and a few other things no one might be thinking about.But the tumor...that's too weird...
Your right. It makes one wonder about the vets. It reminds me of a pet book we had which said if your cat ...... then it has ...... and if your vet diagnoses this problem as ...... . Change your vet!
Awesome news!
And a good wakeup call for dog owners with summer looming.
good to hear yur bud is gonna make it...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Great post Eric. Somehow I think Moab will be just fine and you'll be wiser for the experience. Our canine contingient are full fledged family members aren't they? And we hate to see them not feeling well.
Last summer we went to a frisbee/ball/command/fetch type competition. Blazing hot day. They had several plastic kids play pools filled with water and man, those dogs LOVED that. Some sank down in there with just their heads above the water "alligator style".
Runnerguy
I feel for ya man. I hope Moab is back to himself in short order. Keep an eye on him this summer though... he will probably be more succeptible to problems from the heat in the future. But then again... dogs are awful damm resilient.
Thanks for all the thoughts!
Regarding leaving dogs in the truck - I keep an extra key with me in the summer and just let the AC run.
I do unfortunately have a some bad news. We took him from the high end emergency place to our local vet this morning. They discovered a heart arithemia (sp?) and did an x-ray only to find a huge mass in his abdomin. It looks like back to the fancy place for ultrasound and biopsy but it doesn't look good. The mass may have led to the heat stroke or it may not have been heat stroke at all.
If you believe in praying for dogs (or even if you don't because I do!) lift them up please!!
Eric
I appreciate the update and will be praying for your furry friend.
I'm very sorry to hear about your furry friend. Dogs are awesome. Here is my little buddy Roy, my step-dog, looking happy as usual. I'll be praying for you and your friend
View Image
Edited 4/27/2009 11:56 pm ET by McMark
sorry to hear this...
here's pullin' for him...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
Moab, most certainly has my best wishes and prayers. Hang in there. Chuck
So sorry to hear about Moab's trouble - re praying for dogs - I fell out with the Methodists in adolescence when the minister said that animals do not have souls - I KNEW he was wrong!
I'm wishing you and Moab the best!
Hey Kate,
I'm part of a Methodist church that does 2 blessing of the animal services a year. Moab hangs out in the church all the time. If something happened to him and we had a memorial service I guarantee there would be more people there for him then anyone else in the church!!
Anyone who says a dog has no soul has no concept of the God I know!
Eric
I guess times have changed - I agree with you!
Glad to here alls well. Everyone needs there best friend.
Mojo heading Moabs way from the left coast!ML
Sounds like your prayers worked! Remember, God works in mysterious ways...Glad he's ok.
Tracy
I looked at the subject title and was bracing myself for something different... I thought you might have an axe to grind.
Thanks for being a thoughtful owner. Best wishes for the pooch.
Scott.
Yup, they ask for so little and give so much back. I get a long better with them than with regular people. <g>
Hope he recovers comppletely.
...The unspoken word is capital. We can invest it or we can squander it. -Mark Twain...Be kind to your children....they will choose your nursing home....aim low boys, they're ridin' shetland ponies !!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU-lnBF4On0
I have to pipe in, and realize that I am coming from a totally different perspective. I come from a culture where dogs are considered "unclean". I am endlessly fascinated by Americans love affair with their dogs and pets in general, but especially dogs.
Your bond with animals is extremely strong. I have a theory why this is so. Life in the modern western world has resulted in destruction of the nuclear family, and in surroundings that are completely devoid of any community. The human spirit requires a strong social bond, yet the way we live makes this almost impossible.
Dogs and other pets have stepped into this breach. What was once a pet, now is a member of the family. Often times, this pet is the only thing that provides unconditional love in a person's life. You see couples w/o children, who treat their dog like a child. We spend amazing amounts of money on health care for these animals. Dog bakeries, Pet resorts, carrying pictures of your dog in your wallet-to someone from the outside looking in, this is very bizarre behavior.
If I had to point to one of the signs of the decline of western civilization, this elevation of the family pet, would be one of the manifestations of that decline. The underlying concept that we would treat an animal better than our fellow man is very troubling.
The problem with your theory is -well history. Many cultures from the dawn of time have held pets in high regard. Ranging from the pug in the far east to the Siamese cats in the middle east. Perhaps it's not so one sided. Yes indeed Americans can be and often
are petty and trivial, latching on to materialistic and animal things.
Maybe your analysis helps explain why. Yet, also our pets are much cleaner then animals found in of parts of the world. You won't find me cuddling with a Mexican street cur. I, would counter that many cultural beliefs are held over from less
prosperous times and places. When life is hard, people look to their own and pets become a burden.
Edited 5/2/2009 5:17 pm ET by Henley
Take your wife and your dog, lock them in the trunk of your car. Come back an hour later and let them out.
Guess who will be happy to see you.
That is why the dog is the mans best friend.
I'm not sure how to respond. I agree that the decline of the so-called nuclear family is detrimental but I'm not sure we, or at least me personally, use pets to fill the void. My wife and I struggled greatly in how much to spend to save our dog.
We are not able to have children but have worked in youth ministry for almost 20 years in an effort to "raise" the next generation. I take my dog Moab with me almost everywhere because he enjoys it, I like the company, and people love him. He is by far the most "famous" dog in our area. Could I drag a kid around with me all the time? I could but I probably would not enjoy it ALL the time, the kid would not enjoy it ALL the time and the people that met him/her would not enjoy it ALL the time. I think I would also be arrested for having a child at a job site, leaving them unattended in the truck and generally not supervising closely enough.
Do I draw a line somewhere? Absolutely! We set a dollar limit Friday night and stuck with it. Would others spend less or more? Absolutely! Am I glad they have that right? ABSOLUTELY!! I think that freedom is one of the things that makes America great.
I hope one day you experience the kind of absolutely unconditional love and joy that can only come from a dog or God! My relationship with Moab allows me be to reach out to others as best I can with a very human kind of unconditional love.
Eric
Great post!
Thanks,
I was hoping yojimbo2 would reply - Oh well.
Eric
"I have a theory why this is so. Life in the modern western world has resulted in destruction of the nuclear family, . . . Dogs and other pets have stepped into this breach."
Maybe, but I think it's more because most people in the States don't really relate to animals as food. To us, "food" is something wrapped in plastic that we buy in a store. I know a family (kids included) that became bonded with a 4H project rescue cow as much as any dog owner with his pet. They just enjoyed the human/animal interactions that developed without being hampered by any impending appointment with the butcher.Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
You have made some valid points about pets in the western world but I suspect you will find that upon reflection in most societies some animals have lives that may be better than some people.
I have read reports about people pulling plows because the farmer was afraid the ox (or whatever) would step on a landmine. The favorite race horse or hunting dog of affluent people is often cossetted. Alexander The Great named a city after,his horse, Bucephalus over 2300 years ago and I plan to name a city after my dog next time I conquer a country.