# Cool the dog first, drive second. Most owners do it the other way round. > A study of nearly a million UK dogs found only 21.7 per cent of heatstroke cases were cooled before reaching a vet — and most of those used a method that does not work. Cold water is not dangerous. Waiting is. - **Publisher:** VOTVS (Fair coverage for everyone) — https://votvs.com - **Author:** VOTVS - **Published:** 2026-08-19 - **Language:** en - **Topic:** Animals - **Canonical URL:** https://votvs.com/ar/articles/dog-heatstroke-cool-first - **Tags:** dogs, pets, animal health, heat - **Facts last verified:** 19 August 2026 --- **Start cooling immediately, then call a vet on the way.** Pour or spray cold water over the dog, get air moving over it, and keep going while someone drives. Do not lose cooling time getting into the car. This summarises published guidance from the Royal Veterinary College and the RSPCA. Heatstroke can be fatal within minutes and a dog that seems to recover can still deteriorate — it needs a vet either way. Most people's instinct with a collapsing dog is to get to a vet as fast as possible. The Royal Veterinary College's research says that instinct costs lives. The advice is **cool first, transport second**. ## What the study found VetCompass at the RVC examined records from **945,543 dogs across 886 UK veterinary practices** between 2016 and 2018. Of those, 856 presented with heat-related illness. **Figure (StatRow):** Cooling before arrival at the vet — Royal Veterinary College VetCompass study, published 20 July 2023. The stakes are in an earlier figure the RVC cites: **97 per cent of dogs treated for mild heat-related illness survived, against 43 per cent of severe cases**. Cooling early is largely what keeps a dog in the first group. ## Cold water is not the danger There is a widely repeated belief that cold water on an overheated dog causes shock, and that you should use lukewarm water instead. The RVC's position is that this is out of date. **Cold water immersion and evaporative cooling are the most effective treatments.** For a young, healthy dog, cold water immersion is what they recommend. For older dogs, or dogs with existing health problems, the guidance is gentler: water that is cooler than the dog, combined with air movement from a fan or air conditioning. The wet towel — the thing half of owners reach for — is the one that does not work. A towel laid over a dog traps heat rather than releasing it. ## What overheating looks like Heavy panting that does not settle. Drooling more than usual. Unsteadiness or stumbling. Bright red or very pale gums. Vomiting or diarrhoea. Collapse. A dog does not have to be exercising. Dogs die in parked cars, in conservatories, in gardens with no shade, and on pavements hot enough to burn their pads. Flat-faced breeds — pugs, French bulldogs, boxers — overheat far more easily, because panting is how a dog sheds heat and a shortened airway makes panting less effective. ## The order of operations 1. **Stop.** Get the dog out of the heat and into shade or indoors. 2. **Cool.** Cold water over the body, or immersion for a healthy dog. Keep it going. 3. **Move air.** A fan, an open car window on the drive, anything that speeds evaporation. 4. **Offer water** if the dog is conscious and can drink. Do not force it. 5. **Go to the vet, cooling on the way.** Ring ahead so they are ready. A dog that perks up after cooling still needs to be seen. Heatstroke damages organs in ways that show up hours later. ## Questions people ask ### Should you cool a dog with heatstroke before going to the vet? Yes. The Royal Veterinary College's advice is 'cool first, transport second'. Cooling on the way to the car, or before setting off, matters more than arriving a few minutes sooner. ### Is cold water dangerous for an overheated dog? No. The RVC found cold water immersion and evaporative cooling are the most effective treatments for young, healthy dogs. The old advice to use tepid water has been disproven. For older dogs or those with health problems, use water cooler than the dog plus air movement from a fan. ### How many owners cool their dog before reaching the vet? Only 21.7 per cent, according to the RVC study of 945,543 dogs across 886 UK veterinary practices. Just 24 per cent of those used a currently recommended method — over half used wet towels, which are ineffective. ### How serious is heatstroke in dogs? The RVC cites earlier research finding 97 per cent of dogs treated for mild heat-related illness survived, compared with 43 per cent of those treated for severe cases. How quickly the dog is cooled is what separates those two groups. ## Sources - The RVC urges owners of hot dogs to 'cool first, transport second' — Royal Veterinary College (VetCompass), 20 July 2023. https://www.rvc.ac.uk/vetcompass/news/the-rvc-urges-owners-of-hot-dogs-to-cool-first-transport-second - Heatstroke in dogs and cats — prevention, symptoms and first aid — Royal Veterinary College. https://www.rvc.ac.uk/small-animal-vet/teaching-and-research/fact-files/heatstroke-in-dogs-and-cats - How to recognise and treat heatstroke in dogs — RSPCA. https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/dogs/health/heatstroke --- Published by VOTVS. Free to quote with attribution and a link to https://votvs.com/ar/articles/dog-heatstroke-cool-first.