An Opelousas family is grieving the loss of their one-year-old puppy, Koonie, who passed away this weekend due to extreme heat.
Koonie's owner Layne Herpin said the puppy was playing outside at a hunting club with Herpin's brother when he collapsed.
Herpin said Koonie spent most of his days as an outside dog under the shade of the trees in his backyard.
"He's not used to running around in large areas such as the hunting club," Herpin said. "So he got a little exhausted and he ended up having a heat stroke and we rushed him to the ER and we ended up having to put him down."
Koonie was taken to Lafayette Veterinary Care Center and treated by Dr. Alex Williams.
Dr. Williams said if it's too hot outside for you it is just as hot for your pet as well.
"If you take your dog to walk it's always a good idea to put your palm to the pavement," Dr. Williams said. "If it's hot for you to hold your hand there for five seconds, then it's probably too hot for your dog to go walking for their paw pads."
Dr. Williams said it's important to look out for symptoms of heat exhaustion in your pet which can be; their gums being very red in color, having a glass appearance to their eyes, and heavy panting and being tired.
"One important thing, whenever you're cooling down your dog, is you want to be sure that you're not cooling them down too quickly." Dr. Williams said. "You want to stop cooling them down whenever their temperature reaches about 103 or else they're at risk of going into critically descending temperatures where they can actually become hypothermic."
Below is a list of breeds most susceptible to heat stroke according to the Lafayette Veterinary Care Center:
- English & French Bulldogs
- Mull Mastiffs
- Boston Terriers
- Boxers
- Pugs
- Shih Tzus
- Lhasa Apsos
- Pekingnese
- Golden Retrievers
- Border Collies
- Labs
- Huskies
- Malamutes
- American Eskimo
