Pets and Heat: A Lethal Combination

Every year when it starts to heat up outside, I don’t think about pool parties and picnics, I think about pets left in cars! I panic because I’ve witnessed too many stupid, cruel situations. When I go out in public, I’m like The Terminator, I scan parking lots for animals left in cars and as a result I’ve had quite a few heated arguments with clueless pet owners. Luckily, I’ve not had to break a car window to save an animal (yet), but I will. It’s a stressful code to live by, but it’s much worse for the fur kids left in cars while humans are chilling in the frozen foods isle deciding which ice cream to buy.

Many people don’t realize just how dangerous heat is for pets and even fewer people understand that what feels like moderate heat to a human can be lethally hot for pets.

Animals don’t sweat like us humans do with our 2-4 million sweat glands, so they heat up A LOT quicker and cool down A LOT slower. Your pet’s primary source of cooling down is through panting which is wildly inefficient. What is mild to you can be hot, even deadly, especially for flat-faced & short muzzled, young, old, overweight, muscular, large, sick/compromised, and thick-coated dogs.

The other way dogs cool down is by increased blood flow to the extremities and areas without fur, like ears and paw pads causing heat loss. So be aware of this when covering paws with booties in warm weather—a dog’s ability to reduce her temperature will be blocked by paw coverings.

The #1 cause of heatstroke in dogs is leaving them in a vehicle! Even on a cloudy, mild day, parked in the shade, with windows rolled down, a car can reach dangerous heat levels. Heatstroke can permanently damage your pet’s brain and organs and kill them quickly.

Many countries, provinces, territories. and states have laws in place to protect pets from being left in vehicles, so a person who leaves a pet in a hot car could be charged. Regardless of whether a state has “Hot Car” Laws, the pet owner can still be charged under that state’s general Animal Neglect Law.

If you’re in the UK, you can join the movement #DogsDieinHotCars started by the RSPCA.