Did I help these dogs, or hurt them?

On a ferry yesterday, I came across a car full of Border Collies – two to a crate (with the crates not big enough for even one), all overheated, three unresponsive and barely breathing. It seems that they were being transported illegally.

Together with a group of other people I spent two hours fanning these dogs, massaging them, and dousing them with water. At last, they got a police escort to the vet’s.

At some point, I cradled one young girl as she curled up and noticed that she’d started shivering. After reading about it, I’m guessing that she might have gone into hypovolemic shock at that time. We got her and one of the other two dogs to a warmer spot and dried them off a little, only keeping their heads wet. They became more attentive in time, and were able to at least walk a few steps by the time they were driven off.

During my research, I learned that some sources say you can’t have too much water in treating heatstroke. Others caution that a quick drop in temperature can also be dangerous.

Does anyone know for sure? Any vets? I’m really tempted to call the vet and see how those guys are doing.