It's a hot day and in an effort to keep your dog cool you give them ice to chew or put some cubes in their bowl. Sounds logical yes? NO!!! Ice, ice water or very cold water can cause severe muscle spasms that result in bloat. Please read the following letter. Very important especially with the extreme heat we have experienced this summer.
Hello Everyone,
I am writing this in hopes that some may learn from what I just went through. We went to the Steel Valley Cluster this past weekend.
After showing we went back to our site,set up and got the dogs in their crates to cool off.
After being back about 30 minutes, I noticed Baran was low on water. I took a hand full of ice from my cooler and put it in his bucket with more water….
We all then started to get all the dogs Ex’ed and food ready for them.
After checking the dogs and thinking they were cooled off enough we fed everyone. As we were walking around picking out the feed dishes from the crates, one of my friends stated that Baran seamed like he was choking. I went over and check on him and he was dry heaving and was real drooly.
I got him out of the crate to check him over I noticed he had not eaten, he was in some distress. I checked him over from head to toe and did not notice anything. I walked him around for about a minute, when I noticed that he was starting to bloat. I did everything I was taught to do in this case. I was not able to get him to burp, and we gave him Phasezime.
We jumped on the golf cart and took him down to the Show vet, to find out that he did not have a bloat kit, He referred us to the clinic that was to be on call, but we found out that the clinic was closed.
After finding another clinic that was open, we rushed Baran to that one. We called ahead and let them know that we were on our way. They were set up and waiting on us and had Baran stablilized quickly. After Baran was stable and out of distress, we transported Baran to AVREC were he went into surgery to make sure no damage was done to any of his vital organs. I am very happy to say that Baran is doing great, there was no damage to any vital organs and he still loves his food.
In surgery the doctor found that Baran’s stomach was in its normal anatomic position. The Doctor and I went over the events of what happened up to the point of Baran’s bloating. When I told him about the ice water, he asked why I gave him ice water and have I always done this. I told him my history behind this practice and his reply was “You have been very lucky for the past 15 years!”
The ice water I gave Baran cause violent muscle spasms in his stomach which caused the bloating. Even though I figured his temp was down enough to feed and give him this ice water his internal temp was still high. Dr. Vogf stated that giving dogs ice to chew or ice water is a big NO NO!! There should be not reason for them to have ice/ice water. Normal water (room Temperature), or cooling with cold towels on the inner thigh. This is the best way to help cool a dog.
I felt the need to share this with everyone, in the hopes that some may learn from what I went through. I do not wish this on anyone. Baran is home now and doing fine. He does not like the fact that he has to be walked on lead in the yard to keep him from running. He hates not being able to go out and rough house it with the others, but is doing great. So please if you do use ice and ice water, be aware of what could happen.
Morgan and His Angels
More about bloat
Bloat is the second leading killer of dogs after cancer. A dog with a bloating stomach has a short time to live without emergency veterinary intervention. Below are some useful links to learn more about this deadly condition.
Thepetcenter.com
Globalspan.net
Mar Vista Vet
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Dogs and ice/ice water: Dog owners be warned!!!
It's a hot day and in an effort to keep your dog cool you give them ice to chew or put some cubes in their bowl. Sounds logical yes? NO!!! Ice, ice water or very cold water can cause severe muscle spasms that result in bloat. Please read the following letter. Very important especially with the extreme heat we have experienced this summer.
Hello Everyone,
I am writing this in hopes that some may learn from what I just went through. We went to the Steel Valley Cluster this past weekend.
After showing we went back to our site,set up and got the dogs in their crates to cool off.
After being back about 30 minutes, I noticed Baran was low on water. I took a hand full of ice from my cooler and put it in his bucket with more water….
We all then started to get all the dogs Ex’ed and food ready for them.
After checking the dogs and thinking they were cooled off enough we fed everyone. As we were walking around picking out the feed dishes from the crates, one of my friends stated that Baran seamed like he was choking. I went over and check on him and he was dry heaving and was real drooly.
I got him out of the crate to check him over I noticed he had not eaten, he was in some distress. I checked him over from head to toe and did not notice anything. I walked him around for about a minute, when I noticed that he was starting to bloat. I did everything I was taught to do in this case. I was not able to get him to burp, and we gave him Phasezime.
We jumped on the golf cart and took him down to the Show vet, to find out that he did not have a bloat kit, He referred us to the clinic that was to be on call, but we found out that the clinic was closed.
After finding another clinic that was open, we rushed Baran to that one. We called ahead and let them know that we were on our way. They were set up and waiting on us and had Baran stablilized quickly. After Baran was stable and out of distress, we transported Baran to AVREC were he went into surgery to make sure no damage was done to any of his vital organs. I am very happy to say that Baran is doing great, there was no damage to any vital organs and he still loves his food.
In surgery the doctor found that Baran’s stomach was in its normal anatomic position. The Doctor and I went over the events of what happened up to the point of Baran’s bloating. When I told him about the ice water, he asked why I gave him ice water and have I always done this. I told him my history behind this practice and his reply was “You have been very lucky for the past 15 years!”
The ice water I gave Baran cause violent muscle spasms in his stomach which caused the bloating. Even though I figured his temp was down enough to feed and give him this ice water his internal temp was still high. Dr. Vogf stated that giving dogs ice to chew or ice water is a big NO NO!! There should be not reason for them to have ice/ice water. Normal water (room Temperature), or cooling with cold towels on the inner thigh. This is the best way to help cool a dog.
I felt the need to share this with everyone, in the hopes that some may learn from what I went through. I do not wish this on anyone. Baran is home now and doing fine. He does not like the fact that he has to be walked on lead in the yard to keep him from running. He hates not being able to go out and rough house it with the others, but is doing great. So please if you do use ice and ice water, be aware of what could happen.
Morgan and His Angels
More about bloat
Bloat is the second leading killer of dogs after cancer. A dog with a bloating stomach has a short time to live without emergency veterinary intervention. Below are some useful links to learn more about this deadly condition.
Thepetcenter.com
Globalspan.net
Mar Vista Vet
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17 comments:
My father has been giving our dog ice water and now I have the proof to show him that he is making a big mistake! THANK YOU so much for this article!
THANK YOU very much!! Even though my pooch loves ice water, he will never see another ice cube again!!
Thanks so much for info, we have been given our dog ice water seen it starting getting hot (April). At times I question myself should or should not be given her ice water.Sometimes she would be acts like she is choking.Now I know!!!!
I used to do it too until a friend forwarded this email to me in o7. Not ice, but the dogs love to bike and we would often go on jaunts into Evanston, maybe 2 miles if it wasn't too hot. I would pack a few bottles of chilled water for our rest breaks. Admittedly it was probably fairly close to room temp by the time I gave it to them, but never again.
My local TV station did a spot on helping your dog survive the heat and suggested ice cubes or iced treats. I went ballistic. I called them, and emailed them and asked them how in the hell they could offer up this information without doing a wee bit of research. They cut the spot in half after the call.
When I got the email, the first thing I did was research it. It isn't hard to find. But I am so glad someone gave me a heads up and I am happy if the information proves useful.
Margot Hackett
This is an Internet myth. Eating ice will not harm your dog.
Great information. I'd like to add that another way to quickly cool down an overheated dog is to spray rubbing alcohol on the pads of their feet.
This in another Internet myth! If you do enough research, you will find that ALL the info on NOT giving dogs ice/ice water, all stem from that single story of the dog owner at the dog show. No other information other than that story will back up those claims. It is fine to give your dog ice :)
This is a myth that's been circulating for years!!
http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2010/july/internet_myths
Thanks I was just going to post the same link.
Look it up o. Petmd it says it's fine
This is not true.... Just FYI look it up on a medical website or call your vet
It is true and just ask your vet! Ever heard of horses with colic because they weren't cooled out properly. Same thing.
I know this has hit the web and everyone that is involved has gotten it. But it is true. A horse that isn't cooled properly can get colic. A dog that isn't cooled properly can get bloat. And cooled properly includes walking, water on the outside of the body and no eating until they are comepletely cool..AKA a hand under the leg where it joins the shoulder. But never ice water, always room temp. Check your science or bring it!
But go ahead giving your dogs ice water, my hands are washed at this point. Not every dog dies, but some do. One would hope that would give you a second thought. But if not....
Why did they do surgery if his stomach was in the right place? They should have seen that through the xray. And My vet was from UF and said ice is fine, just not buckets of it.
just in case ,right or wrong, myth or fact. Regular water shade and cool towels in the groin are good enough for me and my dog,Noah. I don't want to be in the position where I have to say,WHY DID I DO IT? you guys fight it out I will make a simple change,no big deal.
Largely depends and I am not an expert heat/ humidity, vs temp of the dog. But I will say, the average vet isn't used to these problems coming to and fro their door. But to Anonymous with Noah, you are on a good track! There is no worse thing than playing it blindsided. Play it safe within reason, love and watch your dog: you'll be fine. My clues: never leave your dog outside if it is above 90 or below 30.
I have an idea. Stop trying to be a vet and stop giving people faulty information. People, if you are really concerned about what temperature water is best for your dog. ASK YOUR VET. As RESPONSIBLE dog owners you should have a VET from whom you get medical advice and care and should not simply rely on false chain emails and "animal lover" blogs. Sure, it's nice to have commonplace people to talk to about your pets and get advice from, but when in doubt ask a VET. And stop spreading hearsay because you think youre and animal activist, unless that hearsay has more backing than a chain email that describes ONE incident and most likely isn't true to begin with.
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