00:11 S1
On Vision Australia Radio. You're listening to the Seeing Eye Dogs Show - with me, your host, Harriet Moffat. Today I've got a fresh mix of repeats. It's been a busy few months at Seeing Eye Dogs. However, these interviews are still in date. We're heading into summer and we're having a few scorching hot days, so here are two vet interviews with Doctor Ashe Mooney of Seeing Eye Dogs Vet Team about what heat stroke is, the signs and how to prevent it, and about hot pavement and other summer skin care for your dog and looking after your pups paws.
Then I have a volunteer story with Anja Schaefer, who's going to talk to us about her two roles caring for dogs in formal training and in our puppy block facility on site in Kensington, Victoria. We're looking for lots of different types of carers currently, including training dog carers local to using a dog site. Head to our website at sed.visionaustralia.org to find out about how you can help by volunteering. Now let's kick off this interview with Ashe talking about hot weather care. What is heatstroke in dogs?
01:23 S2
Heatstroke is essentially when their bodies get over the normal set point that it should be at. So typically we see it, if it's really hot outside, the risk temperature I'd say is any temperature above 25 degrees. That's where you're going to start running into issues, especially if your dog doesn't have access to shade or water, or if they're left in a car without ventilation. If you have to leave your dog in a car for a short period of time, just make sure that you crack the windows, because that's what allows them to... get rid of their excess body heat by panting. If you shut the windows, that's when it becomes much more dangerous.
And if they're out and about, they should just have access to shade and water. Even, like, air conditioning is kind of ideal. I guess some of it's just common sense. If you yourself are, you know, boiling and really uncomfortable, your dog is probably uncomfortable as well. The first kind of signs of heatstroke will be panting. Obviously. You know, all dogs kind of pant when they're either stressed or hot. And then when it starts getting serious, you might notice that they look disoriented. They can start vomiting or having diarrhea. They can have tremors or seizures even, or collapse.
So those are all signs that it's definitely heatstroke. And they're not just mildly overheating. And if that happens, the first thing you need to do while getting them to an emergency clinic is cool them down in whatever means possible. So that can be a water bottle that you have in your car that could be, you know, checking them in the shower or putting ice packs on them. Just whatever you have on hand to cool them off is going to be helpful.
02:57 S1
Is the preference to kind of have that more gradual cooling like the damp towel rather than ice because of kind of thermal shock, or is that not... ?
03:06 S2
In theory, yes. I think that's a bit complicated for the general public to understand, and not always something that you, you know, just have equipment for. So I think it's better to just use whatever you have to cool them down. And then once you get to the emergency centre, the emergency vets there will will deal with things like thermal shock.
03:23 S1
What causes heatstroke?
03:25 S2
In terms of like those temperatures above 25. And it's just something that's breed dependent. So a dog with a longer nose has more space. Essentially every time they inhale, it passes through these really fine bones in their nose, and that cools down the air before it hits their lungs. So a dog with a longer nose will have a higher tolerance than a dog with a shorter nose, because they don't have that same kind of space as they inhale to cool off the air. Which is why you see things like pugs or French bulldogs. They often experience heat stress much quicker than, you know, a lab or a golden retriever or something.
Additionally, you know, a darker coloured dog left in the sun is going to overheat quicker than a lighter coloured dog, just because of how different colors absorb sunlight. There's a lot of factors. Essentially, the reason why they end up in heatstroke is because their internal body temperature is too hot. Kind of like us, you know? If we get a fever or if your animal gets a fever, there's a point at which it's just simply too hot for the cells and your organs and all of that to keep going. And all of those, you know, get quite upset and they start to dysfunction or stop functioning at all.
04:33 S1
So one of the things we speak about a little bit is, is, I guess, like exercise in the heat as well, even if, you know, if they're in the backyard and there is that shade, is there some kind of particular issues in terms of wanting to prevent, you know, the excess, you know, excessive exercise as well in the heat?
04:51 S2
Yeah. So if it's going to be a warm day, it's important that you exercise them usually kind of dawn or dusk before the sun really hits its peak. And if it's super, super hot, if it's a situation where, you know, like it's a seeing eye dog and they're helping you get to and from work, that kind of thing. Just make sure that there's, you know, cold places that you can rest on the way or you have like a little emergency water bottle that you can splash on them to help cool them off or anything like that.
05:20 S1
Are there any other things that you know that we should know about heatstroke, preventing it, or what to do if you think that your dog has heatstroke?
05:28 S2
In terms of if an actual heatstroke is happening, if you're unsure, I think it's always better to act, so bring them somewhere cooler. Try to, you know, relax them a little bit. Get in contact with your vet. Even if it's just kind of the heavy panting, that's... the real first sign that you need to listen to. If your dog is heavily panting, you need to act at that point rather than letting it get more extreme. And if it unfortunately does get further on, then you just need to, you know, if possible, maybe have two people to bring the animal to the vet. One person is trying to actively cool the animal while you're in the car, and then the other person is obviously the one driving. That way, you're able to provide some of that essential first aid, and you're still on your way to an emergency centre.
06:21 S1
How can you tell if it's too hot for your dog's paws on the pavement?
06:25 S2
The easiest way is either putting your hand down or taking your own shoes off and walking along the pavement. And if your feet start to hurt, your dog's feet are probably going to hurt as well. And then just, you know, even if it's kind of a mild pain, thinking about what it would be like to walk on that surface for a long period of time in the heat. If that happens, I just advise putting on some little dog shoes before you take your dog out. That way their feet are nice and protected from how hot it is.
06:53 S1
Other than the the shoes is the, is another consideration I guess, to either kind of maybe choose different routes, as in so that you're not exclusively say on pavement or asphalt? Or... kind of different times of the day?
07:06 S2
Yeah, definitely. So early morning and later in the evening, kind of when the sun isn't at its peak or going to be the coolest times. And then also things like grass, or even dirt are not going to be as hot to the touch as the pavement. So if your dog doesn't have shoes or won't tolerate shoes, and you can go on a route where maybe you're on the foot path, but they're able to walk on on the grass or something like that, that will help save their paws a little bit, or even like dunking their feet into a little bit of water might help in a really short term situation. Those are things that I'd kind of think about. You can even plan your route around, you know, going through inside where it's air conditioned and the floor is a bit nicer feeling.
07:47 S1
There's always kind of different ways to look at enriching your dog if it does get too hot. I think as well as there are always some safe alternatives to to to walking at, you know, 2 p.m. on a 40 degree day.
07:59 S2
Dogs love physical enrichment, obviously. And if it's really hot, do that either within the air conditioning or in, you know, the evening or morning, like I mentioned. The other things that you can do when it's quite hot: dogs love ice blocks. So you can soak their kibble in some water and freeze it, and then let them kind of chew away at the ice block when it's quite hot. There's also, you know, like little water features that you can use. A lot of people will use, like children's little pools, like the little ones that look like a shell, um, and fill that with water. And dogs love to kind of splash around in that. So even if it's kind of midday and you want your dog to get a bit of activity, that should be a bit safer heat wise for them to play in something like that.
Yeah, just be creative with it. I know that like, yeah, sprinklers, dogs like running through that. Just anything that might be a nice kind of cooler, either indoor or water heavy activity.
08:54 S1
So what are the signs that your dog may have sore or damaged paws? I think there are always those things where you get caught out and you think, oh, I hope this has been okay. You know, maybe it's a bit hotter than you think, you know. How do you know if maybe you do need to seek some vet help?
09:10 S2
Yeah. So... I guess the first sign is often just a reluctance to move. So you might notice that they're bulking to go onto a certain type of flooring all of a sudden, or they're sitting or laying down and they're refusing to move away from that position, even something like they're, you know, if they normally when they're laying down, they rest with their head on their paws, and their feet are kind of touching the ground while they're resting. And you're seeing that they're suddenly only sitting on their side so that their feet aren't touching the ground.
Those might be subtle signs progressing to, you know, they might start doing dramatic things with their legs, where they're pretending that their leg is broken and they're holding it up in the air... or even if it's all the paws that are affected, you might notice them kind of like stepping their legs up quite high or dragging them along. If you notice any of these things, or even if you don't, it's always good to to check over your dog's paws, and you might notice that the surface of them feels cracked or blistered, or even quite hot to the touch. And in severe cases, they might even end up where they're kind of bleeding and weeping a little bit. And so that's usually quite severe. If it's gotten to that stage.
I think that if you ever have any suspicion that it's it's been an issue, certainly do take them to your vet who will often, you know, assess how how bad the skin is and usually apply some sort of cream or topical treatment and maybe some bandaging just to help out with the healing process. In some severe cases, they can lose parts of their paw pads from the severity of burning, and those cases do often require surgery. And the recovery from those surgeries is quite painful just because they're constantly having to put weight on the sore part. So it's quite unpleasant for the animals to have to recover from an injury like that.
10:58 S1
So prevention is definitely better than than cure in this case. Well, in most... vet cases actually.
11:06 S2
Yeah. Yes. And most of that cases that's the truth. But certainly it's very, very sore for them. My own childhood dog, I remember we took her out to the Grand Canyon with us and didn't realise how hot the pavement was, and she burned all of her little feet and didn't want to get out of the air conditioned hotel room bed for about three days. So she lived the life of luxury while I, as a young child, had to keep hiking. But she... definitely had some pretty sore feet.
11:33 S1
Is there anything else to be wary of with feet in regards to, say, like looking for anything like parasites or like, burrs or... anything like that over summer?
11:43 S2
Yeah, definitely. So... a big thing is grass seeds, especially as the grass is starting to dry out. Grass seeds, because of how they're shaped, they're essentially like small little arrows, and they just love to penetrate through the foot. And once they've gotten through the skin, they're actually very difficult to get back out. They usually become a surgical issue if they're allowed to fully get in there. So if you do, you know, walk anywhere that has grass, just checking your dog's feet... you know, between the toes on the tops and the bottoms every day, just to make sure that there aren't any kind of sitting on the surface, because if you can get them off at that point, it's going to be much, much better for your dog and for you, because you don't want to have to deal with any sort of... big surgery issue.
Other feet issues are overgrown nails. So overgrown nails can be quite uncomfortable in dogs. And just making sure that you're working either with a groomer or your vet regularly to to keep those in shape. And then, you know, they can certainly hurt them on sharp things just like we can. So, you know, if you're if your dog ever squeals or is holding its leg up or anything like that, just having a thorough check over everything to make sure you haven't missed something like that is really important.
13:02 S1
Keeping listening to the Seeing Eye Dogs Show on Vision Australia Radio. Please stay safe and cool with your dogs this summer. Take care. And remember prevention is better than cure. Don't forget to provide shade or access to inside water and limit exercise in the heat.
Now here's my interview with training dog carer and Puppy block and puppy Centre volunteer Anja. Hi Anja, thank you for joining me on the show today.
13:34 S3
Thanks for having me.
13:35 S1
Could you please start by introducing yourself?
13:38 S3
Yeah, sure. So my name is Anja. I'm in my 30s. I work full time and have two cats, and I've been volunteering with Seeing Eye Dogs for about eight months now.
13:49 S1
So you actually have two roles as well? Could you please kind of intro your volunteer roles?
13:55 S3
Yeah. So I started off as an IFTT relief or foster carer and because it suited my lifestyle, working full time the best. And then I heard about an opening in Puppy Block, and I was really keen to get exposure to the younger dogs because I am trying to work my way up to puppy caring. It's not a prerequisite to volunteer in Puppy Block, but that was sort of my intro and I'm starting in Puppy Centre as well this week, which will be exciting seeing the little wormies.
14:23 S1
So basically it's like you're working your way back through the ages. It's like you say, you see what they end up as, or roughly end-product-ish... through to kind of slightly above eight weeks. And then you're probably going to end up, you know, taking a peek at like the 4 or 5 week goals. So yeah, reverse order basically.
14:44 S3
It's nice to learn the ropes in Puppy Block and just become a bit more natural at enforcing some of the obedience and learning to be consistent. So I find it makes it a little less daunting to sort of think about puppy caring Once it's a bit more ingrained in you. And then the babies. I mean, they're just so fun at like 4 to 6 weeks old when they're still, like, learning to walk and they're all dopey. And that's just for my own benefit. And mental health.
15:15 S1
I think that's so funny, too, at that age, because they're just it's just complete a lack of coordination a lot of the time. Yeah. I mean, I guess you definitely learn interesting different challenges at different ages, like what you're working on at, you know, IFT or info training stage is so different to the yet different challenges at Puppy Block age.
15:33 S3
Yeah. And you have such a good program where where they're really strict in terms of what the puppies get exposed to, depending on how long they've been in puppy block and how old they are, it's all about easing them into, you know, the kennel and getting exposed to certain materials and textures and sounds, and then you build on that and start walking them sort of outside the centre, and you start doing things like getting them used to leash walking, so it's really nice to also learn to do it slow and at the puppy's pace. And then some pups need a little longer than others. But yeah, the support is there and the structure is there so that you really can't stuff it up.
16:15 S1
It's a little bit of hand kind of hand-holding at the very start until you get that confidence behind you guys. I guess it's a bit the same as the puppies, like you get supported until you're kind of... You got this!
16:26 S3
Yeah. That's right. The puppies and and us were sort of leading each other and learning together. But yeah, it's good. It's a good structure and a good program for both of us.
16:36 S1
You did say, so you've been involved for about eight months. Thinking back to when you started, what made you decide to get involved with seeing eye dogs?
16:44 S3
I've actually always wanted to do it, but before Covid, I feel like workplaces were just far less flexible and it was not a conversation I was able to have with previous employers. Luckily for me, my current employer is really big on flexibility, and someone else in the business had already paved the way and had a seeing eye dog, so I didn't have to, you know, start the whole policy process and building approvals. So once I saw that someone else in my company had done it on the company newsletter or whatever, I immediately submitted my form and went, now is my time.
And yeah, like I said, I wanted to start with the IFT process. It was just the best way for me to also get used to having a dog. Having two cats is very different to to having a dog, and they just need you a bit more. So I eased in with actually released IFT and had him full time for about six weeks I think, um, until he was placed. So that was a good introduction. And then after that I took on two ifts that were sort of towards the same time. Yeah, I coincidentally, I had swapped my first dog for another dog. Once the first dog was was given to another organisation, and I know one of my trainer was keen to get her dogs out of head office and into a foster home, and I sort of offered to take a second dog for weekend relief.
And then unfortunately, the dog had kennel cough, so he was with me full time for two weeks seeing it through. And so then I'd had two dogs full time. And it's actually, in my opinion, easier to have two because they play with each other and entertain each other. And I just watched TV and they just do their thing, whereas I feel like one dog needs that one on one a little bit more, and it's nice for the dogs. So I've kind of just kept the program going with two dogs, and I've constantly had two since November.
18:51 S1
So I suppose for anyone that's not aware, so the official kind of role title is like kind of training dog carer. What time commitment is that? I guess during the day, that type of thing.
19:02 S3
Yeah. So that was another reason I started with IFT, because I do work full time in an office with sometimes demanding hours, and I do travel for work as well. So on average you drop off the dogs between 7 and 9 before work, and pick them up anywhere from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.. So I find those two time brackets are really good and work really well for me and my hours. And then I can sort of coordinate the pickups and drop offs as they suit me, whether I'm working from home that day or in the office. And then basically the dogs come home and they're just supposed to rest and enjoy a peaceful, calm, nice home environment so that they're fresh and ready to go the next day for training.
And then on weekends, I have them full time, so I usually take them for a walk or out to the cafe with me, or if there's sort of any couple of things that that we might want to practice, such as exposure to other dogs or like in a cafe. And then I might make a point of having a little outing, or it's just bumming around at home.
20:09 S1
I do actually think when you talk about like the training dog care, especially kind of the evening side of things, is so nice because it's not even like you have to kind of go and do a whole bunch of them because the main purpose is resting. So you just doing chilling.
20:22 S3
The best part of having a dog? Just the companionship and cuddles and yeah, during the day I don't have to worry about entertaining them or walking them. You know, some of the dogs get really used to exercising a lot and need like an hour or so minimum a day. So I'd if I had my own dog, for example, I'd have to make that time on top of trying to do my own exercise and and do my work and whatnot. So it's nice to almost have dogs that are like a great big cat that just lie around and want to want to love you, and it's just companionship.
21:00 S1
Yeah. My cat is... a little criminal from the streets like a rescue thing. But she does. She does mischief. So, like, a different type of cat than that one. Like a nice, nice, friendly, relaxed cat. My... cat is friendly, but she's... your stereotypical ten year old cat.
21:17 S3
Kind of sleeps ten, 20 hours a day. That's almost the vibe that... that's perfect.
S1
So what are your favourite things about volunteering other than probably what you've already mentioned?
21:31 S3
I mean, with the training, dog-specific, it's like all the benefits of having a dog without, I guess, the stress of having your own dog working full time myself, living on my own, and traveling for work. It would be really hard for me to have that sole responsibility. So the best thing about volunteering for me is if I have to travel, you know, the support is there that I can... say to them, look, I can't have a dog for these few days. The support is there for, for training... or if anything ever happened in terms of emergency, there's always someone there to help you.
Whereas, single parenting, for the lack of a better word... yes, is art. And yeah, it's... just a really good way also to meet other people and people that have similar interests and passions. I mean, all the volunteers love dogs and love what they do... and that's really nice to be a part of as well. And then there's the obvious side effect of helping the community. But yeah, that's probably what I'm supposed to say. Everyone, actually just on a side note, but everyone's like, Oh, do you know anyone with like, vision loss? I'm like, No. Like, you don't have personally to the cause necessarily.
22:57 S1
Yeah.
22:57 S3
Like it doesn't have to be like your brother or sister or, you know, parent or an aunt or uncle that you can just...
23:04 S1
yeah, you can just do it.... in the abstract, for the abstract idea of the person that you might be helping, I guess.
23:11 S3
Having said that, it is really nice because when you have the dogs for, you know, two, three plus months, especially if you have them full time for a while until they find the client, you do get attached. You do start to develop a routine and you start to feel like they're your dog. It is really nice to then hear, um, how well they get along with their client. And you know, the difference that they will make to that client, that is, that does make it a lot easier to then give them up.
23:42 S1
Looking back on the time that you've had volunteering so far, is there anything interesting or funny or kind of memorable that you'd like to share about your experiences?
23:51 S3
I mean, Puppy Block is always funny. Baby animals. Just I don't know, it's just so hard to be upset for those four hours when I'm when I'm in Puppy Block. And the dogs make you laugh too. At home, it's just, I mean... pets in general. I feel like they make such a big difference in your life. Especially like I live on my own. And then with working from home a lot, it gets a bit lonely. And... it helps to have that entertainment and companionship. But the path that I stood out for me was... that when you have the training dogs at home, you know, you get to see them just be dogs and they get to relax, and just be themselves, so to speak.
And you see their little personalities come out and they're all goofy and playful. And sometimes it's easy to forget how talented the dogs are and how different they can be in their harness, and they know when to switch it on. And because I don't necessarily see that a lot. One of my highlights was the trainer letting me kind of stalk her in the shopping center and watch her train. One of the seeing eye dogs that that made it through the program. And it was really fascinating with his little vest on, and he knew that he had to guide his person. He was super dedicated and focused and but like, you know, tail wagging and loving it.
So that was a good reminder of what the dogs can do. And that also makes it easier to give them up because they're just they can make such a big difference to someone as well as being their companion, obviously, instead of just, say, sitting on my sofa. Yeah. And I saw them working and I'm like, No, you need to... fulfill your destiny.
25:41 S1
You've got the skills now. I guess you got to use them, you know?
25:44 S3
Yeah. And a lot of them want to like, you know, in my current two, I often get picked up when they hear the van. Sometimes my trainer lives near me. So we share the pickups and drop offs at the moment, which is a bit unique. They hear the van pull up in the driveway. They cannot wait. And I've been sick the last couple of weeks, and so they've had a couple of weeks downtime with me, and the trainer was away. And you could really tell that they're missing the engagement and the and the exercise and the training. Some of them just really, really love it.
26:13 S1
And then you're like, oh yeah, I guess you were born for this. Like your mum was born for this. Your dad was born for this. Few generations back, like, you know, they've the, you, it's in your blood. It's what you need to do.
26:23 S3
I do feel like sometimes we underestimate our pets. And I think particularly Labradors sometimes can have a bit of a stereotype of wanting to just sleep and laze around and just be kind of a companion dog. But having seen these dogs now, you know, they they want to be active, they want to be occupied. So yeah. Tangent.
26:47 S1
So just to kind of finish off, I guess, is there anything else that you'd like to share? Or I guess, would you recommend people get involved?
26:56 S3
Absolutely. I try to rope everyone in. I tell everyone what I do. I mean, sometimes, you know, you, not sometimes, people always stop you when they see you with a seeing eye dog, and they naturally assume that I'm a puppy carer. And I explain that I actually foster care and that there's a lot more ways to get involved and volunteer because, you know, depending on on what you do for a living or what role you volunteer with, it's... it can be quite a large time commitment. So I think it's been really good to teach people that there are other opportunities other than just puppy caring. And so many people have said that they are keen to, to get involved. So we'll see if I see them around the tracks.
But yeah, like I said, I think it's a really great way to meet new people, get involved in the community, and I suppose have all the benefits of pet companionship and ownership. but with the added benefit of the support and structure behind it.
28:01 S1
Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining me on the show, talking about your two volunteer roles as well as, in itself doing them as well.
28:08 S3
Thank you.
28:16 S1
You've been listening to the Seeing Eye Dogs Show on Vision Australia Radio. I hope you enjoyed my interviews with Doctor Ashe of Seeing Eye Dogs Vet Team and Anja Schaefer Seeing Eye Dogs volunteer in training dog care as well as Puppy Block and Puppy Centre.
If you'd like to find out more about seeing eye dogs, the work we do, or how you can help, head to our website at SED dot Vision Australia dot org. More episodes of this and other Great Vision Australia Radio shows are available on our Omni FM pages or your preferred podcast platform. Thanks for listening and have a lovely week! Stay cool folks!
