During the warm summer months, you want to spend time with your pet in the beautiful weather! It is common for pet owners to want to make a few stops to run an errand or two on their way home from the dog park thinking “I’ll only be 10 minutes” But did you know that it can take less than 10 minutes for the interior of your car to heat up and potentially cause heatstroke for your pet?
“I’ll just leave the window open a crack” unfortunately, this does not make a difference in the interior temperature of your vehicle. A lot of pet owners think that their pet will stick their nose out of the crack for air, but this is not always the case. When pets feel hot, they lay down to rest. Unfortunately, if they are beginning the feel the symptoms of heatstroke, they will not be able to get up to that cracked window easily.
Humans sweat to help them regulate their body temperature. Now imagine only being able to sweat from the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet. It is how a dog regulates their temperature. They dissipate the heat through their paws. Now it’s more difficult to do this when they are standing on a hot car seat.
Our pets are family, and we want the best for them! So, it is always good to educate ourselves on the dangers of leaving our pets in hot vehicles.
Written by: Sarah, Receptionist