Salukis in Latvia

The best way to treat a dog with heatstroke is to combine body wetting (with a hose or by submersing in water or wetting with soaked cloths) with air currents, either by aiming a fan on the dog or placing the dog in a moving car or air conditioning. Do not plunge the dog in ice water; this extreme cold causes peripheral blood vessels to constrict, essentially trapping heat in the body core. In extreme cases a cool water enema may be necessary to reduce body temperature. It’s important to quit cooling before the temperature even reaches normal, because cooling will continue for several minutes after efforts cease. 

Extremely high body temperature causes red blood cells to disintegrate; the kidneys try to excrete the resulting excess of haemoglobin. Even if the temperature is brought down, dogs can still succumb to the effects of DIC (disseminated internal coagulation) and kidney failure in the following days. This is why any dog should be taken to a veterinarian following an encounter with heatstroke even if they seem to have recovered. In most cases IV therapy is needed to combat dehydration.  Other drug therapies may be needed to combat cerebral oedema or maintain urine production. The dog should be monitored and rested for the next 24 hours.