American veterinary scientists from the University of Pennsylvania compared various methods of cooling dogs with heat stroke and found that the best method may be immersing the pet's head in water. Moreover, the dog can be trained to do this on its own. The study was published in the scientific journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA).
“During heat stress, blood flow to the head, nose, tongue, and ears increases. Cooling the head tissues allows the entire body to be cooled quickly with a limited amount of water. In addition, training a dog to participate in the cooling process can improve not only its safety but also the human-animal bond,” the authors of the article noted.
As described in the study, voluntary head submersion uses positive reinforcement training to encourage and reward dogs for submerging their heads in a bucket of water to retrieve a toy or treat.
Clean, room temperature water is added gradually until the dog feels comfortable dipping his head in to retrieve the toy or treat.
Experiments have shown that dogs trained with this technique can cool down more quickly after training compared to other cooling methods.
By training dogs to perform this task, owners can also help their pets flush out dust and debris from their noses and eyes.
Scientists noted that symptoms of heat stroke in dogs include anxious behavior, a hanging tongue, pinned ears, shortness of breath, excessive saliva, and a dark red color of the tongue and gums. In severe cases, the animal may begin vomiting or have diarrhea, and may faint.
