British Woman's Warning for Pet Owners Dealing With Soaring Temperatures Goes Viral
Courtney Rogers penned a post after her French bulldog died from heatstroke.
— -- A British woman who lost her dog because of heatstroke after taking him on a 30-minute walk around her neighborhood in the soaring temperatures is warning other pet owners.
Courtney Rogers told ABC News the temperature reached a peak of about 85 degrees in Wirral, England, earlier this week.
In a now viral post on Facebook, she detailed how she and her mother took their two dogs — Capone, a Staffordshire bull terrier, and Henry, a French bulldog — for a walk.
Rogers, 18, said the two waited until the evening, when the temperature had gone down, took a bottle of water along with them and "even touched the pavement to see if it was too hot for their paws."
Still, soon afterward, 4-year-old Henry began aggressively panting, "and he was plonking himself down in any shade he could find, refusing to move," she wrote. They eventually had another family member pick them up to drive Henry and the rest of the family home.
In an effort to cool him down, they "sprayed him with the hose" and "placed cold, wet towels on him" before taking him to the vet. It was there that after "suffering a couple of seizures," he passed away, she said.
Rogers then took to Facebook, warning other pet owners of heatstroke and identifying symptoms they should look out for.
"I can't bring Henry back — Capone has lost his little brother and is currently grieving, as the rest of us are — but this post can warn and potentially save other dogs, save other families from experiencing what we are," she wrote.
The post was shared more than 18,000 times.
Andrea Trafney, a staff doctor at Animal Medical Center in New York City, where temperatures are forecast to be above 90 degrees this week, told ABC News she wouldn't recommend "exercising any pets" during high heat.
"All walks should be to eliminate or defecate and then back in the house," she added.
Trafney said some breeds are more susceptible to heatstroke, including bulldogs, French bulldogs, Boston terriers, shih tzus, Lhasa apsos and Pomeranians.
"If your dog shows any sign of weakness — if they're not responding, slowing or they're not walking — bring them in and seek help," she said.
If you are worried your dog may be suffering from overheating, Trafney had these suggestions:
1. "Get them out of direct sunlight and get them into [air conditioning] and, if not, into the shade."
2. "You don’t want to give them access to unlimited water. That could make it worse. Give them ice cubes one at a time."
3. "Use warm, not freezing cold, water and put it on the top of their head, chest [and] tummy gradually. Ice cold water could be a shock to their system."
Rogers told ABC News she's happy her post went viral.
"Instead of Henry dying in vain, he's spreading awareness to other families with dogs," she said.
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