FACT! – DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS!!
With temperatures rising this week, are you aware of the dangers of leaving your dog in a parked car?
Imagine the scene – its 25 Deg C, a sunny day,, and you need to head out to the shops on an errand,, and you decide to take your dog with you because there’s nothing he loves better than to ride along in your car, sticking his head out of the side wind w. You park outside the supermarket and leave your pooch in the car with the windows wide open. You need a c uple of items in the store, so your dog should be OK – however, the checkout queue is long,, or you linger to chat with your neighbour. Should your pet still be OK. After all, he’s only been there for less than 20 minutes? Wrong – totally incorr ct!
A dog’s average body temperature is between 38 and 39 degrees C. if their body tempera ure rises above 41 degrees C, heatstroke sets in,, and just 20 minutes in a hot car can prove lethal. At these high body emperatures, your pet can suffer a lack of oxygen and decreased blood flow which will result in multiple organ failure and death.
What happens to your dog when he is locked inside a hot car?
0-5 minutes – The temperature rises and your dog will begin to pant as he tries to cool himself down. His heart rate wil rise as his body pushes more blood to the surface of his body in an attempt to dissipate heat.
5-10 minutes – The dog’s blood vessels will dilate, prompting a dramatic fall in blood pressure. As a result, the coo ing mechanisms your pet will normally activate will not function, and he will get even hotter.
10-15 minutes – Your pet’s blood vessels will begin to clot due to this thermal damage. There will be a reduction in blood flow to his kidneys, liver and gastrointestinal tract, starving the organs of necessary blood flow.
15-20 minutes – With temperatures in the car rising, thermal injury increases with even less blood flow to his body. Hypoglycaemia can result.
20-25 minute – Large-scale cell damage will rampage your dog’s body as the blood clots. Vomiting, diarrhoea and gastric ulcers can res lt. Renal failure can be caused by releasing toxin and this micro-clotting.
25-30 minutes – As your pet’s body temperature reaches 42 Deg C, clotting continues,, which prevents oxygen and blood not being supplied to his vital organs.
30 minutes – By this time, the lack of oxygen and blood to his brain will display reduced mental stability. Your dog will show signs of depression, seizures, mu cle tremors and even a state of coma. The possibility of him surviving this heat trauma is negligible – if he hasn’t already died!
If you see a dog in distress in a parked car
This is a rather difficult situation if you are the person who finds the dog in a hot car. If you don’t feel confident dealing with the car’s owner when t ey return, immediately call 999 to alert the Police, or your local dog warden, or seek a Vet’s advice. The main priority is to stop the dog from becoming hotter; i possible,, move him to a cooler location and provide some shade. Attempt to cool the dog with damp towels or blankets to graduall lower his temperature. As a rule, breaking into a person’s car could result in you bein charged with criminal damage. Take the advice of the Police, but if you discover a dog facing death in a hot car, if you take action to help, the law could well be on your side.
If possible, take these additional steps to help clarify the situation should you need to break into a car to rescue a dying dog!
- Use your phone’s weather app and take a screenshot to show how hot it is
- Ask a passer-by to record a video of the dog inside the car
- Ask another person to record your actions as you try to rescue the distressed dog
If you see a dog walker, please check if they use a car or van and if the dogs travel in crates that have fans fitted – whilst these are not a complete solution they will help keep the dog cool during the journal.
Raise awareness
Finchley Dog Walker is trying to raise awareness among dog owners, and as a result, hopefully, the more people aware of this, the number of dogs who die in hot cars will reduce.
I ask that you please share this article on your Social Media or Facebook page. lease add a link from this article to your blogs and websites, and in doing so, we can spread the word ab ut the dangers of leaving our dogs in cars during the hot weather. hank you – let’s keep all of our dogs safe this summer.
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