Vet Paul Pollard with Beth.
ALL CREATURES DON’T leave your dog in the car this summer, says Paul Pollard MVB MRCVS, clinical director of Pet Doctors veterinary practice.
Have you ever parked next to a hot car containing a dog? Was the dog panting up against the partially open window, looking very distressed?
It’s dangerous to leave dogs in hot cars — they really can die.
Cars act like greenhouses in hot weather and the temperature inside can increase dramatically in a very short space of time.
It may be 25C outside but it can be more than two-to-three times hotter inside.
Dogs cannot sweat and lose most of their heat through panting. They also lose water through panting. The more they pant, the quicker they will dehydrate.
As the temperature inside the car rises, the dog’s physiological ability to maintain its core body temperature fails and once that starts to happen, hypothermia sets in.
Hypothermia can cause the animal to become very lethargic. It will then become confused and unable to co-ordinate itself, as if it was drunk. This can then lead to seizure, then a coma, then death. The brain is literally boiled as the body’s temperature soars.
Being shut in a car is the most common cause of hypothermia in dogs. This condition can also happen by just sitting in the garden for too long.
If you are concerned your dog has become overheated, contact your vet immediately. The animal should be placed in a cold bath and then transferred to the vets as quickly as possible covered in cold towels and ice cubes.
On arrival, your vet will assess the situation. Sometimes the animal just needs to be hosed down or put in another cold bath.
If your animal is fitting, it will need intravenous fluids and sedatives to make the brain go to sleep until the body’s core temperature has returned to normal.
Unfortunately, sometimes the body temperature is too high and brain damage has occurred, so there may be nothing more that your vet can do, other than put your pet to sleep. I have treated several of these cases over the years and it is a horrible way for a beloved pet to die.
So remember, dogs can become distressed or die, even if left in a car for a few minutes this summer.
Think hard before leaving your dog in a car, even for a short time. If you have any concerns, don’t take the risk — leave your dog at home.