Animal Update: Avoiding And Treating Heat Stroke For Pets
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Summer is here and sometimes it can be a troublesome time for pets (dogs especially) who can easily suffer heat stroke if you don't take some basic precautions.
Dr. Jennifer Scarlett from the San Francisco SPCA, said even in the Bay Area's relatively cool summer months, that heat stroke is still a risk. "Just earlier this month a Bay Area police department responded to four calls for dogs left in cars one of which wound up being fatal," she said.
We hear that so often that we shouldn't leave dogs in cars unattended, but it still happens as often as we hear not to do it. There's no law to specifically forbid people from doing this, but there are animal cruelty laws on the books, so leaving animals in extremely hot or cold environments is illegal and can be successfully prosecuted.
Animal Update: Avoiding And Treating Heat Stroke For Pets
The problem is this is a judgment call. There are so many factors including; ventilation, the temperament of your dog and our understanding of how hot it can get inside a car.
"If it's 70 degrees outside if you have the windows rolled up, that's 100 degrees in a car. 80 degrees is 120 degrees," Scarlett said.
If you have someone travelling with you have them stay with your dog. If you're travelling alone, you should consider getting a travel kennel, which you can put in the shade with some water.
