We felt it necessary to add some points to the 'Dogs in hot cars' discussion that may not be as widely known as they should be.
We often see many posts and memes that relate to 'breaking a car window' or 'owners shouldn't leave their dog in the car on a warm day' and whilst we agree that it is very healthy that there is a growing social awareness and inclination to share this information and act upon it….there is a little more that dog owners should know.
A study from the UK uncovered some startling findings that dog owners may not have considered.
The study monitored the inside temperature of cars continuously for two years, no dogs were inside the cars.
In every single month the internal temperature of the cars exceeded 25°C at some point.
This finding alone may surprise many as the UK climate is fairly temperate but it highlights the power of the sun outside of more predictable summertime temperatures. This alone should concern dog owners who may consider the air temperature outside of a vehicle a good indicator of whether leaving a dog unattended is safe.
Compounded by the lack of air movement inside a vehicle, unexpected cumulative temperatures can pose a serious threat to the health of a dog. Flat-faced dogs such as bulldogs and pugs, in particular, struggle in heat at lower temperatures than their non flat-faced counterparts.
The study also found that internal vehicle temperatures commonly exceeded 35°C between April and September with the highest figure reached being a staggering 54.5°C on a June afternoon!
More about the study can be found here
As the UK shares a similar climate to many countries it would be wise for dog owners to understand the implications and not assume a cooler outside temperature is a sufficient indicator of safety for their dogs in a vehicle.
To fully understand a dog's physiological reaction to excessive heat within a vehicle it is important to know the following
Dogs develop heat stroke more quickly than most species as they lack sweat glands.
Dogs 'sweat' by panting, a process that allows the dog to bring in small amounts of air into it's lungs and this is designed to aid the dog by cooling it's body.
Inside a warm car the dog's panting process is essentially bringing in warm/hot air and preventing the dog from cooling itself down.
The dog then begins to pant harder which in turn speeds up the process of taking in warm/hot air into it's lungs.
On a hot day with temperatures rising within a car to around 30 C, within 5–10 minutes the taking in of this warm/hot air can lead to the dog's body experiencing protein structures failing, exposure of the dog's blood vessels (unable to keep it's blood in its liquid state) leading to potential blood clots, the dog's heart, liver, kidney and gastrointestinal tract are all starved of the constant oxygen that they need to function and begin to fail.
At the stage above, the dog may start to vomit or have a bout of diarrhea.
The dog's brain is now damaged potentially leading to seizures or coma.
The next stage is an unnecessary death.
ON A WARM DAY-LEAVING A WINDOW OPEN DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Dogs rely on us to be informed regarding their welfare and we hope this information encourages more owners to understand a peripheral risk to their pets.
Please consider the power of the sun all year round and the limitations of our dogs in dealing with situations that only we can put them in.