KEEPING YOUR PETS SAFE IN SUMMER

Is it okay to leave a pet unattended in the car or van while you explore?

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY TRINA AND RAY MORRIS

We recently received a reader’s question on whether it was okay to leave pets in the car while visiting national parks or other non-pet-friendly attractions. As the weather warms up, this is a timely topic to discuss.

The answer is, no! It is not safe to leave a pet unattended in your car.

Vehicles can become incredibly hot within minutes, and excessive heat, combined with lack of ventilation, causes serious distress, organ failure, and death in entrapped pets. Leaving the windows cracked open is pointless, since this does not allow sufficient air flow or heat dissipation.

Dogs are particularly at risk because they don’t sweat – they cool themselves by panting. If the air around them is too hot, dogs are physically unable to regulate their body temperature. Access to fresh water is also critically important for cooling.

Well-meaning pet owners endeavour to park their cars in the shade, and plan only a brief absence, for a dash to the supermarket or to have quick coffee break, but we can easily be delayed or lose track of time!

Leaving a pet inside a locked car for hours, while visiting an attraction or taking a tour, is asking for trouble. Shade can quickly move off a car, creating a serious heat stroke threat. Apart from this, shaded vehicles, even those with open windows, can become dangerously hot, especially in humid, calm weather.

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

Along with age, obesity and breed characteristics, heat stress in pets is exacerbated by lack of acclimatisation – a factor highly relevant to RVers on the move. We can travel vast distances very quickly, into entirely new climate zones, giving our pets little time to adjust to their new environment. Southern pets find Australia’s hot and humid northern tropics an especially difficult climate to deal with.

Good pet management goes well beyond not leaving them locked in cars, though. Enclosing them inside poorly ventilated caravans and motorhomes all day can also be hazardous, even though the larger air space of our rig means it takes longer for an excessively hot environment to develop.

Inadequate provision of shade and cool water for pets left tied up outside rigs all day also presents a major risk of heat stroke, especially if the pet becomes stranded through entanglement in the full sun – away from their water source. It is also possible for pets to overheat during exercise or rigorous play, which should be monitored in warm conditions, particularly if the pet is still acclimatising.

SIGNS OF HEAT STRESS 

Pets suffering from heat stress will begin to pant, salivate and become restless, even frantic. Over time, their heart rate increases, they start vomiting, experience diarrhoea and frothing at the mouth. Within as little as six minutes, they can weaken, become disoriented, and the colour of their gums may change as their physiology is affected. Once they go into shock, they begin to stagger and suffer seizures.

Pets showing signs of heat stroke must be immediately removed from the source of heat, given cooling first aid, and provided with emergency veterinary treatment.

HEAT STROKE FIRST AID 

The survivability of a heat stroke patient is significantly increased if the pet is given emergency first aid, aimed at bringing the body temperature down. Firstly, move the pet from the source of heat into an air conditioned space. Spray cool water onto the pet’s body and use a fan to keep the air circulating, or bathe the pet in tepid water. Never use ice or ice-cold water, as overly-rapid cooling can be dangerous. Apply cool compresses against the pet’s lower abdomen, groin and throat, offer it cool water to drink and seek urgent veterinary advice.

IT’S THE LAW

The RSPCA receives thousands of calls annually about distressed animals – usually dogs – locked in cars. It is a criminal offence to cause an animal to suffer in any way. Should your dog suffer or die as a result of being left in a car, severe animal cruelty penalties incur huge fines and jail terms. The loss of your precious pet, however, is the highest penalty of all.

PREVENTION

When travelling on the road, ensure pets have sufficient ventilation while the car is moving, and offer your dog cool, clean drinking water at least every two hours. When visiting a non-pet-friendly attraction, leave the pet in the safety of your air conditioned caravan or motorhome, or arrange for a doggie day carer. Don’t put your pet at risk of suffering the deadly stress of heat stroke, through being locked in a car that becomes an oven.