Dog saved after collapsing with deadly heatstroke

22 July 2016

A lovable American Bulldog has been saved by our vets after collapsing with heatstroke.

Four-year-old Bud had been out with his owner Emma Charlton, from Wavertree, Liverpool, for just 10 minutes when he started struggling to breathe.

Despite cutting short their walk, Bud collapsed just yards from the front door and was rushed straight to our Huyton Pet Hospital in the city.

Vets immediately tried to control Bud’s soaring body temperature by wrapping him in wet towels before administering IV fluids to treat shock.

PDSA vet, Steven Goldie, said: “Bud’s temperature was critically high when he was brought in. We knew we had to act quickly to have any chance of saving him.

“We used water and wet towels to cool Bud and placed him on a drip to get fluids inside him.

“Despite our initial fears, Bud pulled through. He’s one of the lucky ones, many pets sadly don’t survive heatstroke.”

Bud’s owner Emma (22) said she was incredibly grateful to PDSA for saving her pet’s life.

“I was in total shock as I’d never heard of dogs suffering from heatstroke before,” she said. “It was a warm day but muggy rather than blazing sunshine.

“I was so frightened when the vets told me he might not make it. I can’t thank them enough for everything they did.

“I’m now much more careful about when I take Bud for a walk when it’s hot and want to warn others of the dangers.”

PDSA vet Rebecca Ashman said heatstroke was a huge risk for pets.

“Heatstroke can start without warning and has devastating consequences for our four-legged friends. Dogs can’t control their body temperature the way we can. The only way they can try to cool down is through panting and sweat glands in their paws. Through our pet wellbeing champions, funded by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, we’re educating owners about the dangers.

“One of the most common causes of heatstroke or hyperthermia is dogs that have been left in hot cars. But leaving pets out in the garden for too long without shade or taking them for a walk at the hottest part of the day can be very dangerous too.”

Our vets are warning pet owners to keep their animals safe in the heat this summer. You can read their tips and advice on our pet health pages.