Any animal can look cool ... but can they beat the heat?

Summer days can be tough enough, but add in the effects of regular heatwaves and humans are not the only ones suffering.

The Illawarra has endured a couple of heatwaves this summer, so I asked veterinarian Dr Sarah Foo from Austinmer Veterinary Hospital and the Wildlife Health and Conservation Hospital to discuss how we can protect wildlife and domestic pets from the heat.

With extensive media coverage, many pet owners were aware and prepared to protect pets from extreme heat. However, there were numerous wildlife cases at GP clinics and the Wildlife Health and Conservation Hospital in Camden.

"We had no domestic pets affected by heat come into the Austinmer clinic recently, but we did have a few wildlife cases,” Dr Sarah said.

The dangers that heatwaves bring, such as heat stress, which can lead to heatstroke, can progress within as little as 15 minutes.

“Animals can die quite quickly, and unfortunately, some of the cases we've had before have been animals that have already passed away, and the owners brought them in for us to try resuscitate, but we haven't been successful,” Dr Sarah said.

“I’ve seen a case previously of two little pugs who got out of the house and were running around for about 10 to 15 minutes, and that was enough to cause heatstroke.”

“It was only about 30 degrees, and they both passed away, which was really sad.”

There have been previous cases of dogs being left in cars, which have ended up with severe heatstroke, as dogs should never be left in cars. Even on a mildly hot day, cars can heat up very quickly.

Dr Sarah says dog owners need to be mindful of how hot the ground can be on warm days, as dogs risk burning their paws.

“Dogs can have burnt paws from walking on bitumen and surfaces that become too hot. There is also a high risk of sunburn because the UV index is quite high on those days as well, especially in pets with light fur, thin coats or pink skin.”

While pet owners can prepare and provide more relief for pet owners, the worry for wildlife is always there during heatwaves.

“Wildlife don’t have access to the same things companion animals do – and deforestation is one of the issues that can worsen how much they are affected,'' Dr Sarah said. “Flying foxes are particularly affected by heatwaves and it is the major cause of mass mortality events. We likely don’t see the full impacts of heatwaves on wildlife as many may succumb to heatstroke where we don’t see them.”

What are the symptoms?

Animals can experience three heat-related stages during a heatwave – heat stress, heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

Signs of heat stress:

Signs might involve signs of animals trying to thermo-regulate, such as panting, drooling, wing-flapping and holding wings away from their body, drooling on their body to increase evaporative heat loss, being quieter than usual, not moving around as much to conserve energy, and seeking cooler areas where possible.

Signs of heat exhaustion:

Lethargy, being unable to cope with the heat levels and collapsing.

Signs of heatstroke:

Neurological and whole-body organ dysfunction, seizures, diarrhoea, vomiting, regurgitation, dizziness, discoloured gum colour and cyanosis (turning blue).

Dr Sarah says the clinical signs are similar across species.

Certain companion animals are more at risk of heatstroke, such as those from Arctic regions, brachycephalic breeds, obese animals and those with heart or respiratory disease. Even cold-blooded reptiles such as lizards, snakes and turtles can suffer from heatstroke if they struggle to bring their temperature back down as they bury themselves in the dirt to cool down. Aquatic animals are also affected by heatwaves as water heats up. Dark-coated animals generally absorb heat more, quickly making them more susceptible.

Adult animals tend to be a little more robust against the heat, but young and old animals can struggle more with temperature regulation.

What can prevent heatstroke?

One of the most effective ways to prevent heatstroke is to bring domestic pets inside, where an air conditioner is on. Other ways to cool down are closing windows, doors and blinds before it gets too hot, running fans, good ventilation, using ice packs, cooling mats, wetting fur, using evaporative coolers and providing lots of access to water.

“I recommend on really hot days to have more bowls of water available in throughout the house. Pets may not be willing to move too far to get to a water source, further increasing the chance of dehydration and heat exhaustion,” Sarah said.

For wildlife, Dr Sarah advises providing water in shallow dishes on the ground and in trees with small rocks or sticks to help prevent smaller animals from drowning. Temporary shade can also be put up. Keeping domestic animals indoors can also reduce stress and allow better access to water and shade provided. 

“There are specific guidelines from the New South Wales Government Environment and Heritage on what we can do to intervene, and Wildlife Health Australia also has a really good resources on helping wildlife during natural disasters, and heat stress in flying foxes.”

“While flying foxes are one of the most impacted wildlife it is important to call a wildlife organisation first as they should only be handled by experienced and vaccinated handlers, especially due to the risk of lyssavirus transmission. Without experience, you may also cause extra stress, increasing their susceptibility to heat stroke.”

What are treatments for heatstroke?

Cooling down an animal steadily is better than fast as a sudden change in blood pressure can send them into shock. Common treatment methods:

• Moving them to a cooler environment or turning an air-conditioner on
• Wetting animals down with tepid water
• Using fans/cooling mats  

“I would recommend getting any animal with signs of heat stress to a veterinary clinic if possible, or calling for advice.” 

As heat stress can progress to life threatening heatstroke so quickly, veterinary intervention may be necessary, including: 

• Intravenous fluid therapy which can help with dehydration, cooling and addressing hypovolaemic shock;
• Oxygen therapy and ventilation for animals struggling to oxygenate;
• Medications to address serious clinical signs such as seizures, arrythmias and shock;
• Examination and blood tests to determine the status of organs, and treatment of these conditions to prevent ongoing or permanent damage.

Is climate change a concern?

Vets in general are concerned about temperatures getting hotter and heatwaves going for longer as wildlife has less time to recover, even when it cools down at night. There are further concerns of fewer food sources, habitat loss, rising water temperatures and coral bleaching. Many of our native wildlife such as flying foxes are keystone species, and mass-mortality events can have significant impacts on the environment. 

Are there other health concerns?

Climate change can lead to other disasters such as flooding which can encourage the spread of leptospirosis, for which all dog owners are encouraged to get their dogs vaccinated. More flies and mosquitoes due to warmer temperatures mean there is an increased risk of insect-carried pathogens such as heartworm. Fleas and ticks can be a risk all year due to the warmer temperatures necessitating year-round protection. Botulism is also an increased risk due to drying of water sources, leading to exposure of rotting vegetation and matter containing high loads of the toxin.