Thank you so much! That definitely makes what happened a little clearer. The dog did present with those symptoms (107 fever and the rest of it) but the circumstances were a little strange given it was about 60 degrees Fahrenheit that day.
You would be surprised when dogs get heatstroke! Many people think mid summer would be the worst time, but a lot of times it is in spring when the weather starts to turn nice and dogs go outside and over-exert themselves without being acclimated all winter. Brachycephalic (pushed in face) dogs like bulldogs are at increased risk even if the temp isn’t too high. Finally, some drugs and toxins, such as addedall and meth can mimic heatstroke by raising body temp and metabolic rate.
Hi! I’m a vet assistant and don’t know much at all but am trying to learn more with newsletters like this. A couple weeks ago, we got a case of heat stroke that then started having bleeding issues, consensus was DIC. Owner couldn’t do many diagnostics and unfortunately had to euthanize the dog ultimately. What are the differences between DIC and ITP? Could heat stroke ever be involved in an ITP case?
DIC stands for Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation, and it occurs when there is widespread, out of control clotting. What basically happens is there are forces that promote clot formation and the other forces that normally prevent clots or break them down get overwhelmed. It can be triggered by many things, including heat stroke, sepsis, trauma, and many other conditions. DIC often results in massive bleeding AND throwing clots all over the body. Unfortunately, a lot of patients who develop DIC die (some people refer to it with the gallows humor term "Death Is Coming").
I can't say that ITP could *never* be involved in heat stroke, but I think of heat stroke as much more commonly associated with DIC. Without knowing all the details of the case it's hard to say more, but if they presented with a very high temperature, signs of multiple organs failing, bleeding, and a low platelet count, I'd say DIC was probably playing a role.
Thank you so much! That definitely makes what happened a little clearer. The dog did present with those symptoms (107 fever and the rest of it) but the circumstances were a little strange given it was about 60 degrees Fahrenheit that day.
You would be surprised when dogs get heatstroke! Many people think mid summer would be the worst time, but a lot of times it is in spring when the weather starts to turn nice and dogs go outside and over-exert themselves without being acclimated all winter. Brachycephalic (pushed in face) dogs like bulldogs are at increased risk even if the temp isn’t too high. Finally, some drugs and toxins, such as addedall and meth can mimic heatstroke by raising body temp and metabolic rate.
Oh interesting that those toxins can do that!
Somewhat technical for a non-veterinarian, but very useful for someone trained!
Hi! I’m a vet assistant and don’t know much at all but am trying to learn more with newsletters like this. A couple weeks ago, we got a case of heat stroke that then started having bleeding issues, consensus was DIC. Owner couldn’t do many diagnostics and unfortunately had to euthanize the dog ultimately. What are the differences between DIC and ITP? Could heat stroke ever be involved in an ITP case?
Hi Kaitlin, thanks for the questions!
DIC stands for Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation, and it occurs when there is widespread, out of control clotting. What basically happens is there are forces that promote clot formation and the other forces that normally prevent clots or break them down get overwhelmed. It can be triggered by many things, including heat stroke, sepsis, trauma, and many other conditions. DIC often results in massive bleeding AND throwing clots all over the body. Unfortunately, a lot of patients who develop DIC die (some people refer to it with the gallows humor term "Death Is Coming").
I can't say that ITP could *never* be involved in heat stroke, but I think of heat stroke as much more commonly associated with DIC. Without knowing all the details of the case it's hard to say more, but if they presented with a very high temperature, signs of multiple organs failing, bleeding, and a low platelet count, I'd say DIC was probably playing a role.
If you'd like to learn more, the eClinPath page from Cornell University has a good write-up on it: https://eclinpath.com/hemostasis/disorders/dic/
Hope that helps!