One more time: NEVER leave pet in car!
Medical professionals can sound like broken records. Physicians preach to their patients about having a healthy lifestyle. My doctor reminds everyone to buckle up. Dentists continually tell patients to brush, floss and visit twice a year. Veterinarians talk about responsible pet ownership all the time.
We should not have to continually remind clients to practice good animal stewardship.
Every summer, however, veterinarians have to remind pet owners to not exercise pets in the heat and NEVER leave pets in a hot car.
Pets suffer in the heat. Always wearing a fur coat and not being able to sweat except through their foot pads, pets pant to cool themselves. If left in a hot car even with the windows open they can become overheated quickly and die in minutes.
The Motor Vehicle Extreme Heat Protection Act has been introduced in the Pennsylvania Legislature by Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-Chester, and Reps. Frank Farry, R-Bucks, and Dom Costa, D-Stanton Heights.
Thelegislation would make it asummary offense to jeopardize apet’s health in a hot car. A police officer, humane officer or otherpublic safety professional couldopen a car if the pet is in danger.Members of this group wouldbe protected from liabilityand damages to the car.
Pets removed from the car would be transported to a veterinarian for evaluation.
Some otherwise decent pet owners feel that it is acceptable to leave a pet in a car for a short time. This is only true if the car is running and the air conditioner is on. Even air conditioning can be disastrous if the car is low on gas. Heatstroke can happen in minutes. Once a pet succumbs to heat stress, brain, nerve and liver damage precede both agony and death.
Don’t be fooled by the shade; temperatures in a car can still skyrocket quickly. Once a car heats up and pets start to pant, the situation becomes dangerous quickly. Even a short errand can have an unanticipated delay with fatal results. Occasionally we hear reports of police canines that have died after being left in a hot squad car accidentally.
Even those who might report about such incidents can make bad judgment calls.
In mid-June, KDKA-TV reporter Andy Sheehan posted an apology on his Facebook after a concerned passer-by broke his car window to free his dog, Bentley, who had been left in his car longer than he intended. He said he was on his way to the park with his dog on June 15 when he stopped in Bloomfield to drop off a phone to be repaired. “I have no one to blame but myself,” Mr. Sheehan wrote. “I want you to know I
take full responsibility for this thoughtless mistake.” He said his dog “is a prized member of our family, and I am sickened to think I could have harmed him in any way. I am relieved to report that he is fine.”
Headded: “Perhaps, if somegood can come of this, mybad judgment can be a teachablemoment for othersto leave their dogs home whendoing tasks that don’t involvethem. I know I will.”
Exercisecan also stress dogswhen temperatures heatup. Jogging and even a longwalk in the heat can be uncomfortablefor dogs. Someolder dogs will collapsein the heat. Dogs developairway difficulty when stressed.Pugs, bulldogs and evensome Labradors and manyother breeds can have respiratory difficulties. Evenin a warm apartment withoutair conditioning, a fanis mandatory.
Summer heat is hard on everyone, and pets are particularly sensitive to high temperatures. Always take precautions to prevent heatstroke and the potentially deadly consequences. and founder of the Point Breeze Veterinary Clinic. His biweekly column is intended to educate. Consultation with a veterinarian is necessary to diagnose and treat individual pets. Email questions to petpoints@post-gazette.com; include name and municipality or neighborhood.