Editor’s Note: There are times when the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital Emergency and Critical Care must turn away patients because it has reached capacity with critical cases. Max is one case that required a long-term stay.
Max was having a very bad day.
First the two-year-old German Shepherd got stuck in a fence that surrounded his kennel and he was unable to make it back to his shaded dog house.
That was bad enough, but to make matters worse the incident occurred on one of Iowa’s hottest summer days.
By the time his owners returned home and discovered Max’s predicament, the dog was suffering from hypovolemic and distributive shock due to heat stroke. He had excessive fluid loss and reduced vascular tone, and his rectal temperature was 105 degrees.
That doesn’t even account for the two abrasions which was caused by the fence injury.
When Max arrived at the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital he received intravenous fluids to help correct his dehydration, as well as pain medications and antibiotics.
“We were concerned for Max on several counts including coagulopathy and the potential for sepsis, a severe systemic infection consequence of the damage caused in the gastrointestinal tract by the heat stroke,” said Dr. Carla Pratdesaba, small animal resident.
Heat stroke occurs in dogs when the body cannot cool down during exposure to hot environments, intense physical exercise or prolonged seizures. It can lead to severe complications including seizures, comas, respiratory compromise, acute kidney injury and disseminated intravascular coagulation.
“We began intensive supportive care, and Max has been slowly responding to the treatment and his medical issues have been resolved,” Pratdesaba said.
It took several days, but Max’s very bad day has turned around.
If you and your animal need assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center at 515.294.4900.
August 2025