When Kris Salapek started his shift for the day he wasn't expecting to carry an 80 pound Akita breed of dog a mile and half down the Mount Tammany trail. He says, “We got a call for a dog struggling to make it all the way down the trail. The dog seemed pretty overheated. It would lift its head up and drink but really wouldn’t move much more than that. It became pretty clear the dog wasn't going to recover and walk itself down the trail anytime soon. Our most efficient option to get the dog down was to carry it.”
The Mount Tammany trail is a 3 mile loop and part of the 70,000 acre Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and part of the Appalachian Mountains. When the incident occurred it was a hot and muggy summer day, and Ranger Salapek explained this isn't the first time an incident like this as occurred, "These things are parallel to stories that are happening quite often and it doesn’t always catch the attention of folks.”
Dr. Geoffrey Wright of Wright Veterinary Medical Center in Bethlehem Township put it very simply to understand a dog's heat plight, “Put a fur coat on and go outside." Dr. Wright also explained, "The Ikita can’t blow off that temperature not only does he have a fur coat on but he’s a big dog so he’s got a lot of fat and insulation. He’s going to do great in the winter but he doesn’t do well in the summer”
The symptoms of overheating in pets include excessive panting or difficulty breathing, an increased respiratory rate, drooling, weakness and even collapse. Dr. Wright says when you see these signs you should act immediately, "When you’re seeing any of those signs you want to cool that guy down. You want him to drink clear water and get him out of the heat. If he starts getting very hot you have to try to cool him down. You can do that with cool water. Cool water around his neck, cool water around his ears, cool water around his inguinal area. That will help him. Big thing is get him cooled off and if you can get him in the air conditioning that would be great.”
Luckily at the end of the day the dog and everyone involved made it out safely. Ranger Salapek explains how people should prepare themselves for the a trail, “Understanding what’s involved in going up the Mt. Tammany and with that information folks can make determination whether they should bring a dog or young children or for them considering their fitness levels.”