Pets in HOT Cars
Please leave your pet at home in hot weather!
On an 85° day, it only takes 10 minutes for the inside of your car to reach 102°, even when the windows have been left open an inch or two.
Within 30 minutes, a car's interior can reach 120°, When the temperature outside is a pleasant 70°, the inside of your car may be as much as 20° hotter.
Shade offers little protection on a hot day and moves with the sun. Pets most at risk for hyperthermia (overheating): young animals, elderly animals, overweight animals, those with short muzzles and those with thick or dark-colored coats.
A form of cruelty—literally
Many states and local governments have laws that prohibit leaving an animal unattended in a motor vehicle under dangerous conditions, which include hot days. Under these laws, police, animal control agents, peace officers and others may be authorized to enter by whatever means necessary to remove the animal. You could have your car damaged, be charged with a crime, and fined or imprisoned. It's not worth it—don't leave your pet in the car!
If your dog is overcome by the heat
Bring down body temperature by soaking the animal in cool (NOT ice) water, but make sure water does not get into the mouth or nose of an unconscious animal. Seek immediate veterinary care.
Hot weather traveling tips
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Get a veterinary checkup before traveling and make sure you have the necessary vaccination certificates for the area you will be visiting, as well as flea and tick treatments.
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Carry a gallon thermos of cold water or bring along a two-liter plastic bottle of water you frozen the night before so you will have cool drinking water.
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Exercise your pet during the coolest parts of the day (dawn and dusk), and never immediately following a meal.
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Provide shade when your pet is outside on a hot day.
Overheating kills! Don't put your pets in danger.
The above information was provided by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
