Heat stroke is a life-threatening emergency in dogs that kills thousands annually. Most cases are entirely preventable through owner education about temperature thresholds and the dangers of hot cars.
Heat stroke causes extreme suffering before death: seizures, disorientation, vomiting, and collapse precede fatal organ failure. The tragedy is that the vast majority of cases are preventable. Leaving dogs in cars on warm days, exercising dogs during peak heat hours, and forcing heat-intolerant breeds to exercise vigorously cause most heat stroke deaths. Public education about the speed at which car interiors heat is the most impactful preventive intervention. Emergency cooling with cool (not ice cold) water and immediate veterinary transport saves lives when heat stroke does occur. Breed selection that avoids extreme brachycephalic features is the most durable individual prevention strategy.