PULLMAN, Wash.—Soaring summer temperatures in the Palouse region beginning Friday can create potentially dangerous conditions for pets, warn veterinarians at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
“Dogs and cats do not sweat like humans,” explains Raelynn Farnsworth, veterinarian and head of the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital’s Community Practice Service. “Instead, they pant and seek shade to eliminate excess heat. Pets do lose water through exhaled air, and that needs to be replenished with abundant, free-choice drinking water that is also clean. Free-choice means they can reach water at any time, even if they are in an enclosed space.”
Two particular dangers are when people take their pets with them in vehicles or they tether outside without shade or water.
“Animals left in parked cars during summer heat can develop heat stroke in a very short period of time,” said Dr. Farnsworth. “People are best advised to not leave pets unattended in parked cars or similar enclosures during the summer heat at all, even if there appears to be sufficient ventilation as death can result.”
Leaving a pet unattended in a hot car got more expensive this year when Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed SSB5501 into law on May 12. It is now punishable with a $125 fine to leave or confine any animal unattended in a motor vehicle or enclosed space if the animal could be harmed or killed by exposure to excessive heat, cold, lack of ventilation, or lack of necessary water. The new law also authorizes and protects animal control personnel and law enforcement officers who break into a vehicle or enclosed space to prevent harm to an animal. Finally, if the case is egregious enough, it could result in additional animal cruelty charges.
The interior of an automobile can reach temperatures approaching 200 degrees within a matter of minutes. Cracking open the car window is not a solution as it may not prevent the heat build up or it may provide a way for the pet to escape. Parking in the shade may also seem like a temporary fix, but offers little protection when the sun shifts in the sky or radiant energy drives up the temperature.
“Be especially sensitive to pets with special needs, including those that are old, overweight, or that have heart and lung disease,” says Dr. Farnsworth. “Leave these animals at home and protected as much as possible.”
A dehydrated or overheated pet may pant heavily, stagger, vomit, have diarrhea, seizures, or go into a coma. If you fear your pet may be experiencing any heat-related illness, WSU veterinarians urge you to seek immediate veterinary medical care for them.
Contact:
Charlie Powell 509/335-7073, cpowell@vetmed.wsu.edu