One of the biggest summer hazards is heat! More specifically, heat stroke in our four legged friends. What is heat stroke? Heat stroke is when the body’s temperature rises to be above 41 degrees Celsius, this occurs when a dog is exposed to excessive heat. Two of the main reasons dogs get heat stroke is when they have been playing for too long on hot days or when a dog is left in a hot vehicle. It can happen faster than you think!
Every summer we hear of many dogs that become very ill or even die due to a short stay in a vehicle. The sad thing is that it is 100% preventable. Canines are unable to control their heat by sweating, the only sweat glands they have are located in their foot pads. This means that they have to try to stay cool by panting. Unfortunately opening windows does not make a very big difference in controlling the temperature. If you are going to leave a dog in a car for even a few minutes you should leave the car running with the air conditioning on.
