Dog Dies Inside Car
| Published: 31st August 2006 18:50 |
A dog died in a car and three more were rescued from a van left in the heat at the Royal Show in Warwickshire.
RSPCA inspectors and police broke into the BMW car to try and remove the whippet but it had already died. The temperature inside the car was 47C.
The terrier dogs were removed from a van at the showground. RSPCA inspector Lee Hopgood said the incidents were being investigated.
"We cannot understand why we are still finding dogs in cars," he said.
'Irresponsible and illegal'
He said: "We are all devastated that a dog has lost its life because it was left in the sweltering heat of a car.
"It is irresponsible and illegal to leave a dog in a hot car."
People should not take their dogs with them when they attend summer shows, he added.
"Yesterday, we issued numerous verbal warnings to dog owners and my inspectors, who are patrolling the five car parks, cannot understand why we are constantly finding dogs left in cars."
The Facts
Its hard to believe that a dog left unattended in a car on a hot day can suffer heat stress and ultimately a fatal heat stoke within an amazingly short time - less than 10 minutes on sunny day.
Why it happens
On a hot day the temperature inside a stationary car can rapidly increase to double that on the outside, this can happen within six to ten minutes depending on the weather conditions.
Try it out on yourself sometime when its hot. With the windows closed, hot sunshine can make your car take on suana like qualities in minutes - time yourself to see how long you can bear it before you have to leave.
To add to their problems remember that most dogs have a thick coat of hair designed to trap heat, plus they can't sweat and can only shed heat by panting. Repeat the experiment on yourself but wrap up as though your going out in snowy conditions, you will now begin to realise why they succumb to the effects of heat stroke so quickly.
Leaving windows down or providing bowls of water will not stop heat stroke from happening.
Dogs experiencing heat stroke go through a number of stages.
Initially they will show increased activity with panting accompanied by barking or whining. The dog will be obviously agitated.
The panting becomes excessive and and laboured with copious drooling of saliva being seen.
The next stage is where the dog is obviously struggling to breath, it may appear glassy eyed and have dark red gums.
Beyond this point the dogs body temperature will have reached the point of where cell death in the brain results in seizures, coma and ultimately death.
If heat stroke is identifed early it can be quickly reversed by cooling the dog down, but once the critical temperature is reached the body's thermoregulatory mechanisms fail and the consequent circulatory collapse and organ damage will often mean that even with intensive veterinary care your pet will ultimately die. Prevention is better than cure.
Never leave your dog unattended in a car, even for a short while when it's warm or hot outside.
RSPCA contact number
If you need to report a dog left unattended and apparently distressed in a car during hot weather - ring 0870 5555 999.
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