Just because summer ends, don’t think that the dangers of heat related injuries are over yet.  Studies show that a car parked in the sun on  a 77 degree day heats to over 106 degrees in just 20 minutes.  The temperature exceeds 120 degrees in an hour.

If the unthinkable happens and your canine companion  does suffer a HEATSTROKE , there are some things that might seem right to do but that are NOT the right actions at all.
(If you are already aware of these ideas, good for you!!  And we appreciate your patience with us
as we share them with others.  If we can help save just one dog, our effort will be worth it.)

1 -     Don’t use COLD or ICE water to cool your dog.  It is actually counterproductive.  The cold causes the blood vessels to constrict, slowing the flow of cool blood. Use cool water.
2-    Don’t  SUBMERGE your dog in water.  This could cool the dog too quickly, causing er complications, including hypothermia.  Use cool running water from a faucet or hose, or even a spray bottle if that’s all you have.
3-    Don’t COVER  your dog with anything like a wet towel. This can block the evaporation.
4-    Don’t CONFINE your dog in a small space like a crate.  Again, you want as much air flow as possible for evaporation.
5-    Don’t LEAVE your dog lying down.  Encourage your dog to stand or walk a few slow steps to help the cooled blood circulate from the surface  back to the core.
6-    Don’t allow your dog to GULP too much water.  Give your dog small amounts of cool water.  Some people even find that a mist bottle works for this, too.
7-    Don’t allow your dog’s TEMPERATURE to DROP too low. 
8-    Don’t  ASSUME that your dog is okay just because you have gotten the temperature down and the symptoms under control.  ALWAYS transport you dog to a veterinarian.
9-    Don’t ever FORGET  that your dog is with you and is depending upon your decisions for its very life.
 

Response from  a Reader: 

Good suggestions, might I just add this.

What we were always told and I saw this used several times when we lived in
AZ. where as you know it gets very  hot in the summer with very low
humidity.
We would pour over or hose the dog with water and immediately put them in a
car with the ac on high and head for the vet.
We did these two actions at the advise of the vets in the Phoenix area.
I never saw a dog who died from heat stroke when treated this way.
The signs that we were told to watch for was excessive panting, wide open
starring eyes and probably drooling. I did observe these signs on two
occasions.
If you're watching the dog you can't miss them. Especially the rapid
respiration and the very wide starring eyes. Their eyes almost look like
their going to pop out of their head.

Glad you provided the info you did. Particularly good advise for those who
fortunately have never experienced heat stroke in a dog.