Image Credit: Contributed/B.C. SPCA

VANCOUVER – Despite ongoing warnings and a public relations campaign some pet owners just don’t get the simple message; don’t leave your dog inside your car.

The phones at B.C. SPCA branches throughout the province have been ringing off the hook with cases of hot dogs needing to be rescued.

In June, the SPCA constables responded to 228 calls to rescue dogs in distress.

“The media is wonderful about helping us get the message out,” Lorie Chortyk with the SPCA says in a media release. “It can be fatal to leave your pet in a hot car, even for 10 minutes, but still we receive hundreds of calls about animals in distress.”

With temperatures expected to climb back into the high 30s across the Southern Interior this week, Chortyk is pleading with people to leave their animals at home.

She says the temperature in a parked car, even in the shade with the windows partly open, can quickly get so high the pet will be seriously hurt or killed.

Owners should be watching for heatstroke symptoms in their animals. They include exaggerated panting or if panting suddenly stops, a rapid or erratic pulse, salivation, an anxious or staring expression, weakness and muscle tremors, a lack of coordination, convulsions, vomiting and collapse.

According to the B.C. SPCA if your dog shows symptoms of heatstroke, you should do the following:
- Immediately move the animal to a cool, shady place
- Wet the dog with cool water
- Fan vigorously to promote evaporation. This will cool the blood, which reduces the animal’s core temperature.
- Do not apply ice. This constricts blood flow, which will inhibit cooling.
- Allow the dog to drink some cool water or to lick ice cream if no water is available
- Take the dog to a veterinarian as soon as possible for further treatment.

“If you’re used to letting your dog accompany you on errands, you might feel guilty leaving him behind on hot summer days. But your dog will be much happier and safer at home,” Chortyk says.

News from © iNFOnews, 2014