packforkids
New member
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2025
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On Aug 9, my friend & I left our home to pick up 2- 4 yr old French bulldogs from California. An 18 hr drive one way. Upon arrival we had good reason to suspect the male had a bad case of pneumonia. A visit to an animal hospital for triage indicated he was fine. He was NOT fine. Five hours later he started to lose the ability to walk. Six hours into the trip he could not breathe & had blood coming from his mouth. A quick diversion to a local vet saved his life from heatstroke. An old vet with a small clinic on a two lane road in the middle of a California valley sprang into action by quickly sedating him, placing him on a ventilator while resting face down on a slab of ice. He was literally minutes away from death. Now I am not sure if a pre existing case of pneumonia combined with heat caused the problem. What I know- there was two dogs and only one got sick. Today Punch is fully recovered & has a clean bill of health. My goal- to relate the early signs of heatstroke & hope to save a life. 1. Inability to stand / walk / weak leg muscles. 2. Can’t lay down. 3. Labored breathing. 4. Hyperthermia causing elevated body temp (punch was 107 after 30 min on ice).
