The weather is getting warmer, and so comes the warning about hot dogs.
Every year, we hear about dogs being left in vehicles while the drivers pop into a store or to the ATM, thinking they will only be gone for a second. According to the B.C. SPCA, the temperature in a parked car, even in the shade with the windows partly open, can rapidly reach a level that will seriously harm or even kill your pet. Leaving your pet in a car with the air conditioning on is also taking a risk as many pets have died as the result of faulty air-conditioning systems.
Dogs and cats cool themselves by panting and by releasing heat through their paws. In summer, the air and upholstery in a vehicle can heat up to high temperatures that make it impossible for pets to cool themselves in this manner. Signs of a dog in distress include exaggerated panting, rapid or erratic pulse, salivation, anxious or staring expression, weakness and muscle tremors, lack of co-ordination, overly red lips and tongue, convulsions, collapse, coma, and death.
So if you can’t leave your pet at home, take it to a friend’s, or bring it with you, leash it in a shady area if possible, with some water. It will only take a second.
And if you see an animal in distress, look for the owner, or call the SPCA’s Animal Cruelty Hotline at 1-855-622-7722 or, as a last resort, call the RCMP.
-Vernon Morning Star