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Make sure water containers are large enough to supply water at all times and secure so they cannot be turned over. Make sure that tied dogs cannot wind their tether around something, preventing access to water. Caution: Chains will wrap around themselves and shorten when the dog runs in circles. Crate only in a wire crate. Clip heavy coated dogs to a one inch length. Leave one inch for insulation, and protection against sunburn. Allow dogs unaccustomed to warm weather, several days to acclimate. Do not exercise your dog on hot days. Take precautions for at-risk dogs when the heat index reaches 75 F.The single most frequent cause for heat stroke in dogs is overheating in a parked car. If this article accomplishes nothing else, I hope it educates readers on the importance of leaving Buddy home, not only on hot days but on warm days as well. REMEMBER! It might only be ten minutes... and the dog or cat will be near death. And sometimes even if heroic treatment measures are taken the animal will die from massive intravascular clotting, hemorrhaging, cerebral edema and kidney failure. It is a gruesome thought but every day dogs and cats suffer from heat stroke due to inattention by their caretakers. In most cases, the pet is left "for just a minute"... but for various reasons the pet's owner is distracted by something unusual, or delayed beyond what was expected... and returns to the vehicle to see their pet collapsed, salivating, panting uncontrollably and loosing consciousness. Don't let it happen to your pet. According to The Weather Channel your car acts like an oven when the sun is shining on it. And keep this in mind: if the outside temperature on a warm, sunny day is 90 degrees the temperature inside a car left in the sun in 10 minutes will climb to 113º, in 20 minutes it will be 120º, and in 30 minutes will be 133º! And leaving a gap open in the windows has little effect because the heat buildup occurs mainly from radiant energy from the hot metal of the car. The interior color of the car, dark being most troublesome, influences the heat buildup. UNATTENDED PETS Leaving a pet alone in a vehicle has a number of potential risks. Always be conscious of the effects of heat buildup in a vehicle because it only takes a few minutes for the internal heat to increase forty degrees above the outside air temperature... especially in direct sunlight. Even a dog’s body heat (expired air in the dog’s breath is 102 degrees and has 100% humidity!) will act like a heater inside an enclosed space. Leaving windows open slightly at the top surely helps IF there is a breeze. However, that opening also invites children to poke their fingers in or unkind folks to tease the dog with sticks. Pets left in cars are at a severe disadvantage when it comes to being able to dissipate heat from their bodies. Even in the shade, and especially in humid conditions, dogs need to inhale air cooler than their normal body temperature of 102 degrees. In fact, even 80 degree air temperatures can be dangerous. Heat stroke is a dire emergency and one from which many pets do not recover. And you'd be shocked to find out just how fast it can occur. If you ever find your pet distressed from overheating in a vehicle, get to the nearest animal hospital immediately... don't even call first; just GO! |