Friday, August 03, 2012

Heat Stroke

Last night I saw my first ever case of heat stroke, which I believe came about from underlying laryngeal paralysis. We managed to cool the dog from over 42 degrees Celsius using a cool examining table, wet towels and a fan. He was also placed on oxygen and IV fluids. We stopped when he reached 39.6 degrees, to avoid hypothermia, and his body was able to continue cooling back to normal temperature (38.6). For a patient who came in literally dying, it was a great feeling to be able to save him and send him home to his family.