[jenjen81]

My dog is a 5 yr old staff , she has woke me up at 4 am ,she is panting really hard , and won't sit or lay down she feels very hot my vet does not open for another 6 hours is there anything I can do for her now

[Lucky098]

If she is over heated, you can cool her down by putting cold wash clothes on her stomach. You can also use alcohol to help bring down the temp. Dogs cool down by their feet and stomach, so any type of cool down method should be used by having them stand in a cool bath and splashing the belly. Do not use ice cold water.. That'll cause shock.. Just a nice cool bath helps until the vet opens up.

[paleophlatus]

She may be breathing hard because she feels it is hard to get her breath. Refusing to lay or sit may be because it is easier to 'breathe' by standing (it does put less pressure on the chest that way.) Dogs feeling this way also get some relief by having cool air moving into their face, like a small fan. If she is relieved, she will stay there as long as it helps... no need to chase her around the house with the fan.

Not all panting is from overheating. If you have a thermometer that you can 'sacrifice' to the dogs, take her temp rectally. Use a little Vaseline or even a dab of butter as lubrication. After a minute or so, you will be better informed as to whether she is hot, or something else is bothering her. Normal is under 102 F, high is 103-4, seriously high is 105, and would be the time to start with the baths or other extra measures. Over 106 is dangerously high and may be worth waking your vet if you can't get it below 105 with external measures.