Altitude Sickness in Dogs
Denver sits at 5,280 feet, Breckenridge at over 9,000, and the summit of Quandary Peak at 14,265. Dogs feel that climb the way people do, with less air per breath and a harder time shedding heat, and they cannot tell you their head hurts. This guide describes the warning signs veterinarians on the Front Range publish, how to build up to altitude, and when to turn around. It is general information; a dog showing these signs needs a veterinarian, not a web page.
What altitude does to a dog
Above about 8,000 feet the air holds noticeably less oxygen, and above 11,000 feet, where the trails to Quandary Peak and McCullough Gulch spend most of their distance, every step costs more. Dogs compensate by breathing faster and panting harder, which also happens to be how they cool down, so altitude and heat stack on each other. The Forest Service's own pages for the Front Range 14ers say none of them are easy hikes because of the elevation, and that applies to the dog on the leash as much as to the person holding it.
Colorado State University's veterinary hospital notes that older dogs and brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds overheat faster because they pant less efficiently, and CSU has run a study on blood oxygen in flat-faced breeds at altitude. If you own a bulldog, pug, boxer or Boston terrier, or a dog past middle age, the high peaks are a conversation with your vet first and a hike second.
Signs to watch for
Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center, a Front Range clinic, lists these warning signs on high trails:
- Shortness of breath or excessive panting that does not settle at a rest stop
- Drooling beyond normal
- Pale gums
- Lethargy: lagging, lying down, refusing to continue
- Nosebleed
- Vomiting
- Collapse
The early signs are easy to mistake for a tired dog. The tell is that rest does not fix them. A dog that lies down at a break, drinks and bounces back is tired. A dog that lies down, will not drink, pants without slowing and looks dull is in trouble, and the only treatment you can offer on the trail is to go down.
Turn around rules. Descend immediately if you see pale gums, vomiting, a nosebleed, stumbling or any collapse. Descend, do not wait at the same elevation to see if it passes. Carry water and offer it often; do not force it. Keep the dog in shade at breaks. Once you are down, call a veterinarian and describe what you saw, even if the dog seems recovered. Colorado State University's veterinary teaching hospital in Fort Collins runs a 24-hour emergency service, and most Front Range cities have an emergency clinic.
Acclimatise the way people do
- Arrive early. A dog flying or driving in from sea level should spend at least a day or two at Front Range elevation before a mountain hike. Walk the Mount Sanitas loop or Green Mountain first, both around 6,000 to 7,000 feet, and see how the dog does.
- Step up, do not jump. A mid-elevation summit such as Bergen Peak (9,708 feet) tells you a lot about how a dog handles thin air with 2,100 feet of gain. If that goes badly, a 14er will go worse.
- Choose a gentle first high hike. Lily Pad Lake near Silverthorne is easy-graded and shaded; the Sapphire Point loop above Dillon Reservoir is a 0.6-mile stroll at 9,500 feet. Both let you watch the dog at altitude without committing to a long descent if it goes wrong.
- Sleep high the night before. Camping or staying in Summit County before a peak gives the dog twelve hours of adjustment, which is more than most day-trippers from Denver allow.
- Condition for the gain, not just the distance. Six miles on the High Line Canal is not six miles on Quandary. Build up to real elevation gain over several weeks.
The 14er day itself
Start before dawn: the Forest Service pages for Grays and Quandary stress early starts for lightning, and an early start also means the steep part happens in the cool. Carry at least two litres of water for the dog on Quandary, where there is none after the first mile. Rest in the shade when there is any. Watch gums and gait at every break. Boots help on the talus above 13,000 feet; see dog boots for Colorado trails. And set your turnaround by the dog, not the summit: the trail record for Quandary puts it plainly, turn around when the dog slows.
Know the rules too. Grays, Torreys, Bierstadt and the Mount Blue Sky area require a hand-held leash; Quandary and McCullough Gulch fall under Summit County's leash-or-immediate-control standard, and the resident mountain goats will not back down, so leash up above treeline regardless. Our dog-friendly 14ers guide has the peak-by-peak rules.
Heat is the usual co-defendant
Many "altitude" cases are heat cases at altitude. Panting is less effective in thin, dry air, treeline offers no shade, and the rock radiates by mid-morning. The signs overlap: heavy panting, drooling, lethargy, collapse. The response is the same, shade, water, descend, vet, and CSU's first-aid advice for overheated dogs is cool water on the belly rather than full immersion, and a trip to the emergency vet even if the dog improves.
If your dog is not a 14er dog
That is most dogs, and it is fine. Older, flat-faced or heavy dogs can have a full Colorado summer on creek trails below 8,000 feet. On peak days, a day of daycare in Denver or a boarding night is kinder than a dog carried off a ridge, and requesting a quote is free. Browse trails near Breckenridge for the high-country hikes that do not touch 13,000 feet.