A western Queensland vet says the death of a police dog while on duty in Brisbane yesterday serves as a timely reminder about working dogs in the heat.
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The Queensland Police Service this morning confirm the death of Police Dog Waco while he and his handler were tracking an offender in the Deception Bay area yesterday. The offender had fled on foot from a stolen car.
PD Waco’s handler observed him becoming unsteady on his feet and recognised signs of heat stress.
The dog was immediately provided with water and urgently transported to a nearby veterinary surgery. Despite attempts to lower his body temperature and replace his fluids the dog later died.
Roma Vet Clinic’s Will Nason said heat stress posed a very real threat to dogs, especially pig dogs who can sometimes be unfit.
“We don’t see it so much in working dogs because they are generally very fit but we see it a lot in pig dogs who maybe haven’t done a lot of work for a few weeks and then go out and can overheat,” he said.
“It’s best to work dogs in the early morning or late afternoon and avoid high humidity.
“Dogs don’t sweat well – they cool themselves by panting so they struggle to cool down in high humidity.
“It’s a real danger to dogs that are unfit so be careful if your dogs haven’t worked a lot recently.”
Symptoms of heat stress in dogs includes panting, dehydration, excessive drooling (ptyalism), increased body temperature, reddened gums and a rapid heart rate.
“When dogs are suffering from heat stress the body will try to divert the blood supply away from vital organs,” Mr Nason said.
“They can actually start to spontaneously bleed from their feet or gums. It can definitely be fatal.”
If a dog is suffering from heat stress, the owner should attempt to cool the animal down immediately.
“A good way to do that is to put them in a dam and soak them and then put them in the shade where the wind can help cool them down,” Mr Nason said.
