firemedic I have an idea what you want to say. But to me if you live in a place like Texas you better know what to do in the heat. I run in the heat sometimes. I don't think a dog that has a heat stroke will be more likely to have it again because of having it. I think some dogs know to slow down in the heat. You need to make sure you only hunt in short bursts and give lots of water. keep a close eye on your dogs. I had a heat stroke once and nobody was with me. I knew the signs and what to do. You don't feel good quickly. Just today my kids had to go out and play. I tried to keep them in. When I saw girl I knew to get her in and put her in the bath and give fluids. To me kids and dogs both need someone with a close eye. Try to wait for cooler times but sometimes they just want to go and it is your responsibility.
Hunting in the heat requires lots of water, and ice packs. You need to know where to put them to cool the dog or a person fast.
if you hunt in the heat it don't matter how you do it you raise the risk of heat stroke i don't expect my dogs to just give up on a runner cause its hot. and its hard to keep a close eye on them when there running hogs we only planed to hunt about 30 min they just got on a rough hog in 100 degree heat and my dog will not quit no matter what...well unless he has a heat stroke. but i do believe once he has had one he is more prone to have them in the future. but hes doing good acts like hisself again i been keeping a close watch on him whatch for blood and making sure he gets fresh water evryday. he seems to be getting better but only time will tell. thanks for all the help and comments guys and girls
That is why your dog had a heat stroke and mine have not. I have dogs I will not run in the heat and a couple I will. If a dog won't pull up before a heat stroke then don't hunt them in the heat. I am just telling you what I have learned from training in some of the hottest places on earth. When it gets hot you better know what you are doing or your men will die or in this case your dogs. You said you did not know what to do when your dog had a heat stroke but you were hunting in the heat. I am not slamming you but I will not be nice either. Learn what to do to take care of your dogs because they count on you. It seems you had some clue as to what to do because you got the dog in water and then a/c. It seems you did what you could for your dog and what you did was right. So for that I say good job. I am also not going to say not to hunt in the heat. But I will say that you need to know your dogs and don't hunt the dogs that will stay in the hog until they are dead. Because in the heat that is what will happen.
I am really glad your dog is doing better. I knew the dog would because the dangerous time was over. If I made you mad I am neither sorry nor not sorry. I do hope you learned something and realize I was not trying to hurt your feelings or just slamming you. You did good caring for your dog.
If you have a cooler just have a towel and put it in the ice water and then put that over your dog. Don't just pour the water on the dog because it will be wasted. When the towel gets warm ring it out and let the water fall on the dog and get it wet in the cooler again. Also get some of the water for the dog to drink but not too much. The dog may throw up and suffer dehydration so only give small amounts at a time. I have a 12 ML syringe with no needle. I put the shot in the mouth at least waiting one minute between shots to prevent dehydration but not upsetting the stomach. If the dog does not drink do not get worried they may have an upset stomach. Get the dog's temperature down to normal as quickly as possible. If you have a large cooler you can put the dog in the ice. All of this works for people too. A dog or person may not feel good for a few hours or days. But as long as the temperature is normal just keep them hydrated. Also know that the feet can be cooled faster than the rest of the body in a dog and the blood flowing through will cool other areas. Also cooling the neck gets cooler blood to the brain. Basically anywhere major arteries or a large capillary area near the skin is a good place to put ice packs. But do not over cool the dog and send the dog into hypothermia. So if you put the dog on ice only do so for a few minutes unless you have a thermometer to check the body temp. The cool towels are safer but take longer. Expect a person or dog to not be feeling well after all they were being cooked on the inside and it may take time to get back to normal. Obviously there could be permanent damage that is why cooling them as quickly as possible is better. With a conscious person I would stick their head in the cooler and then leave either hands or feet in the cooler. Once they have a normal temp a blanket to prevent hypothermia. Heat can kill in many ways.
Now this is just a basic overview of some basic things off the top of my head. Consult a doctor or vet ahead of time to learn better things to do. You also should run through what to do both with a conscious and and unconscious person and dog. It could save a life.
