Monitor Your Pet’s Temperature
As you’re cooling off your pet, you’ll want to make sure that you monitor his or her internal body temperature. The way to do that with a pet is with a rectal thermometer. You can purchase one specifically for your pup at your local pet store, and this is always a necessity to have if you’re a dog owner. As your pet is cooling off with cold towels or in a tub or pool of cool water, you’ll want to continuously monitor his or her temperature. You can do this every five to ten minutes. Even if you plan on taking your pet to the vet, unless your dog has lost consciousness, you’ll always want to try cooling him or her down first and confirming a lowered body temperature before bringing him or her. A temperature of 103 or below is low enough to bring your pet to the vet safely, while a temperature of 101 to 102.5 is a normal temperature. If your dog’s temp is lowered and he or she exhibits no signs of heat stroke, a vet trip may not be necessary. Just make sure to continue to monitor your Shih Tzu for additional symptoms or out-of-character behaviors.
