Toffee scared me today

SteffiS

SteffiS

Location
Norfolk
I took Toffee for one of his favourite walks today that ends at the rec where he plays with his ball and hopefully meets some other dogs.

We met a couple with two dogs of similar age to Toffee, and they had a ball thrower for their dogs. Toffee had already been running about but was keen to play with them so I let him run about and chase their ball with them for about ten minutes.
After that I told him we were going home and he happily came back but as soon as I started to walk he threw himself on the ground. I got him to walk but after a few metres he lay down again, then he walked a few more metres then collapsed panting. He didn’t look right at all, his eyes were all bloodshot and he was drooling and foaming round the mouth. I rang OH, who luckily had just got home with Ripple, and asked him to come and collect us in the car.
When he got there Toffee wouldn’t get up at all and we had to lift him in the car; at home he didn’t want to move out of the car so we got him a drink and I gave him small sips and sat with him until he started to seem a bit more normal. I had to lift him out the car but he managed to walk to the kitchen where he drank more water and laid on the floor panting.

It took more than an hour before he returned to anything like normal and his eyes started to look better. This really frightened me, it wasn’t even that hot and I didn’t think he did an excessive amount of running about. For a while I thought he was going to have a fit or even a heart attack. Now he seems completely back to normal but I think I will be very wary of how much playing with other dogs I let him do in the future, I should have realised he wouldn’t be able to regulate himself and feel guilty I hadn’t stepped in earlier - a lesson learned.
 
Ashley

Ashley

So scary! A similar thing happened to me last summer when Quinn ran off and chased a ball back and forth (two young guys playing catch) and when I finally got ahold of her she was panting so hard. A usual 7 min walk took almost an hour and I had to carry her on and off and stop and lay down every few steps. I honestly thought she was going to die. Hopefully he was just over exerted and hot. One thing in comparing Quinn to other dogs is that she gives 110% in running after balls and will not stop if she’s hot/tired where I find most dogs are less intense and stop/go more. Toffee is maybe similar?
 
VanillaBean

VanillaBean

Don't be to hard on yourself, it happens as every dog is different. Honey is like Toffee, she will go and go and just does not know when to stop, Vanilla on the other hand will stop after while and just meander around for a while then start again. It has taken me a while to get Honey to just stop and smell the grass. When she was tired/out of breath she would just lay down on the grass, just not for a long time as she always wanted to play.
In the early days I would pop her back on the leash (long one) and just to calm her down and get her breath back. we would walk and let her smell the ground or just relax. I also though carry a water bottle to allow them to have a drink. Honey especially needs drink after a run around. Vanilla can go a bit longer without, but still does need one eventually.
Maybe if you are going to one place have a little bag with a bowl and water and just set it up. Teach him that after say 5 ball throws he can get another one until he has had a drink, not a lot but enough. Eventually you will find that he will automatically come for a quick drink on his own when he needs it.
I did that with Vanilla and also Honey when we go to the Oval or beach etc. and I knew we would be a while and come across other dogs. Both will now have a drink as and when they need it.

Glad Toffee and Quinn are better now though
 
SwampDonkey

SwampDonkey

It's been do humid and hot. Both my boys have been very panty when they've been out in the pm. I think it's a bit misleading at the moment because it doesn't seem that hot and the oncoming thunder storms have made it more impressive. Just glad that toffee is ok now.
 
Lab_adore

Lab_adore

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Sydney, Australia
It's a big problem here in summer, we have to be so careful as i know Maxx will just go and go in the extreme heat if we let him.

So glad Toffee and Quinn are ok
 
Kelsey

Kelsey

Very scary! This happened to Axel a year ago and it was terrifying. We played fetch for about 7 minutes but he’s crazy and goes full out chasing balls unlike a lot of other dogs we see. Same thing, took an hour to recover but then was totally normal. I rarely play fetch with Axel anymore after I learned about his heart condition. But he can run around freely off leash while hiking and not have any issues thankfully.
 
Sophiedoodle

Sophiedoodle

Location
Fife, Scotland
That sounds terrifying! Glad he is back to normal now x

The other thing it could be is Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC). This is a genetic disorder commonly found in retrievers and sporting dogs, where the dog loses function of their legs after exercising lots and just collapses.
I’ve never actually seen it happen before but it is one of the things we test for in our doodles. Oreo is actually a carrier for EIC.
 
Loraseal

Loraseal

Location
The Hague, The Netherlands
Oh how scary @SteffiS. Don't be too hard on yourself. The thing is they don't have an off/on button when it comes to playing and it does sound like heat exhaustion?
I have noticed this year that Hunter seems to be more affected by the heat and pants a lot more . The heat seems very different and very humid. Hope you and Toffee are feeling better this morning.
:hug:
 
Granca

Granca

Sophiedoodle said:
The other thing it could be is Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC).
Click to expand...
Yes, Wispa probably has this, so I have to be very careful to manage her enthusiasm! She pours every ounce of energy into playing fetch and would just keep going. It’s very scary when she collapses, but that hasn’t happened for a long time now that her playtime is managed carefully.
 
kateincornwall

kateincornwall

Location
Cornwall , UK
Poor lad , and you too , it must have been very frightening for you . The humidity has been very high recently and seems to affect some dogs more than dry heat . Reuben would run and run, given the chance ,so much energy . Yesterday was a hot sticky stormy day so we just had two ten minute walks , then played in the garden when the rain stopped .
Hoping all is well this morning , please dont beat yourself up over it , it happened to Sam once , its horrible xx
 
edzbird

edzbird

Location
Isle of Man
Very scary! A similar thing happened to Coco at dog school - excessive running in the heat** & humidity. We doused him with cold water and let him have sips. It was really scary at the time. Don't be harsh on yourself, Toffee was playing and enjoying himself, there were no warnings for you.

** and it doesn't really get that hot here. Maybe 25 degrees.
 
SteffiS

SteffiS

Location
Norfolk
Ashley said:
One thing in comparing Quinn to other dogs is that she gives 110% in running after balls and will not stop if she’s hot/tired where I find most dogs are less intense and stop/go more. Toffee is maybe similar?
Click to expand...
This sounds like Toffee to a tee, I shall be much more aware now and make sure I keep the running after balls limited especially in the hotter weather. And I also thought for a short while that he was going to die.

Sophiedoodle said:
The other thing it could be is Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC).
Click to expand...
Thinking about it I have heard of that, once our vets are running normal consultations I shall discuss this with them.

He’s fine this morning, luckily it’s raining quite hard here so currently much cooler. But I shall keep an eye on the humidity as it stops raining.
Thank you everyone for your input and thoughts, it’s so scary when something happens to our dogs, I was just grateful OH was at home and could come and get us.
 
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