With the summer months upon us, it’s time for a reminder about the dangers of leaving your pet in a parked car. Whether you’re parking in the shade, just running into the store, or leaving the windows cracked, it is still not ok to leave your pet in a parked car.

The temperature inside a car can skyrocket after just a few minutes. Parking in the shade or leaving the windows cracked does very little to alleviate this pressure cooker.

On a warm, sunny day try turning your car off, cracking your windows and sitting there. It will only be a few short minutes before it becomes unbearable. Imagine how your helpless pet will feel. On an 85-degree day, for example, the temperature inside a car with the windows cracked can reach 102 degrees within only ten minutes. After 30 minutes, the temperature will reach 120 degrees. At 110 degrees, pets are in danger of heatstroke. On hot and humid days, the temperature in a car parked in direct sunlight can rise more than 30 degrees per minute, and quickly become lethal.

Stanford University School of Medicine conducted a study to measure the temperature rise inside a parked car on sunny days with highs ranging from 72 to 96 degrees F. Their results showed that a car’s interior can heat up by an average of 40 degrees F within an hour, regardless of ambient temperature. Ambient temperature doesn’t matter – it’s whether it’s sunny out. Eighty percent of the temperature rise occurred within the first half hour. Even on a relatively cool day, the temperature inside a parked car can quickly spike to life-threatening levels if the sun is out.

Further, the researchers noted that much like the sun warms a greenhouse in winter; it also warms a parked car on cool days. In both cases, the sun heats up a mass of air trapped under glass. Precautions such as cracking a window or running the air conditioner prior to parking the car were found to be inadequate.

Pets are very susceptible to overheating as they are much less efficient at cooling themselves than people are. The solution is simple – leave your pets at home if the place you are going does not allow pets.

Dogs are designed to conserve heat. Their sweat glands, which exist on their nose and the pads of their feet, are inadequate for cooling during hot days. Panting and drinking water helps cool them, but if they only have hot air to breathe, dogs can suffer brain and organ damage after just 15 minutes. Short-nosed breeds, young pets, seniors or pets with weight, respiratory, cardiovascular or other health problems are especially susceptible to heat-related stress.

Signs of heat stress include: heavy panting, glazed eyes, a rapid pulse, unsteadiness, a staggering gait, vomiting or a deep red or purple tongue. If a pet becomes overheated, immediately lowering their body temperature is a must.

- Move the pet into the shade and apply cool (not cold) water all over their body to gradually lower their temperature.

- Apply ice packs or cool towels to the pet’s head, neck and chest only.

- Allow the pet to drink small amounts of cool water or lick ice cubes.

- Then take the pet to the nearest vet.

Animal Services Officers or other law enforcement officers are authorized to remove any animal left in an unattended vehicle that is exhibiting signs of heat stress by using the amount of force necessary to remove the animal, and shall not be liable for any damages reasonably related to the removal. The pet owner may be charged with animal cruelty.

Creating greater awareness is the key to preventing pets from this unnecessary suffering. Below are some tips to help spread the word:

- A good start is to let friends know about the dangers of leaving their pets in a parked car and remind them to keep their pets at home on warm sunny days if they’ll be going anywhere pets are not allowed.

- The Humane Society of the United States has posters available for a nominal fee that store managers can post inside their windows to remind shoppers that “Leaving Your Pet in a Parked Car Can Be a Deadly Mistake.” They also have similar hot car flyers.

- Get involved. If you see a pet in a parked car during a warm sunny day, go to the nearest store and have the owner paged. Enlist the help of a local police officer or security guard or call the local police or animal control office.

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Kim Salerno is the President & Founder of TRIPSwithPETS.com. She founded the pet travel site in 2003 and is an expert in the field of pet travel and weight loss pills. Her mission is to ensure that pets are welcome, happy,and safe in their travels.
Visit her company website at http://www.tripswithpets.com

As you read this, helpless dogs are waiting in cages to be slaughtered. They are crammed so tightly together in wire cages they cannot move, struggling for every breath in the stifling heat with their snouts tied shut. The dogs are stolen or rounded up on the street, transported to slaughter in conditions so bad nearly half the dogs die en route in rvs. Those that reach the slaughterhouse alive are clubbed or have their throats cut whilst conscious. Sign the Network for Animals petition to stop the illegal dog meat trade >>

Dog meat eating was banned in the Philippines in 1998. Sadly, the law is rarely enforced, and the penalties are so weak that convicted dog meat traders get off with a slap on the wrist only to return to their cruel trade.

But now there is real hope for the dogs. Recently, lobbying by animal protection groups led to stronger laws that greatly increase fines and include jail time for convicted dog meat traders. With your help, we can get the police to enforce the new law, stop this illegal trade and save countless dogs from a horrible fate.

Please join our friends at Network for Animals in signing the petition encouraging the Filipino government to enforce the law prohibiting the trade in dog meat >>

The RSPCA wants to work with local authorities, who license animal breeding establishments, to ensure the animal welfare standards are raised. Thay also want to clamp down more and more on rogue puppy traffickers who are routinely peddling sick puppies imported from Ireland. Round here that animal rescue centres are full of unwanted puppies from Ireland, so you can see that by using a puppy breeder you could be contributing to puppy trafficking. This is where puppies are bred in large numbers for profit, often with little regard for animal welfare. Many puppies fall sick, and some die.

These are the facts – RSPCA undercover staff bought six puppies. Of these, two were seriously ill. Frank, a mastiff, had parvo virus, but was fortunately saved by vets. Chardonnay, a cavalier King Charles spaniel cross, was diagnosed with pneumonia and, despite constant care, sadly died two weeks later.

Unlike humans, who often need to take Anoretix to regulate their weight, these poor guys needed different help.

Since then the dogs have been cared for in private boarding kennels on behalf of the RSPCA. While they remained the property of their former owner, the Society was unable to rehome them.

Now, ownership of the St Bernards has been signed over to the RSPCA and so good new homes can be sought.

The dogs are being rehomed in small groups through various RSPCA animal centres. Priority will be given to potential owners who live nearest to where the dogs are currently being cared for to limit how far they will have to travel to their new homes. In the South East region, priority will be given to people living in Kent , as the dogs are being cared for near Maidstone. If you would like to offer a home to one of these wonderful dogs in the UK, please call 0300 123 8000.

Please note that a donation will be required in return for rehoming one of the dogs which helps cover the cost of their neutering, vaccinations, microchipping and veterinary check

St Bernards are large dogs and, as these particular animals have lived in kennels all their lives, they are not used to walking on leads and have not been house trained. They will need experienced homes where there is a reasonably large amount of space. They will also need regular grooming.

Paul Williams, RSPCA animal welfare manager in the RSPCA’s east region, said: “These dogs will need special care and patience. They all have good temperaments but their kennel background means that they will need owners with the knowledge and time to help them settle into their new homes.

“So far,  caring for these St Bernards has cost the RSPCA around £100,000 and all donations, however big or small, will be gratefully received. If you would like to rehome one of the dogs or make a donation so we can continue to care for animals like these, please call us on 0300 123 8000.”

The majority of the dogs range in age from two years to eight years and older and should make very loyal and rewarding pets for those able to give them the care they desperately need.

None of them suffer from mesothelioma, fortunately.

• A suitable environment (where the dog lives) – that means the dog must be protected from the extremes of temperature and weather
• A suitable diet (what it eats and drinks) if you feed your dog so much tat he is clinically obese you will contravne this Act .
• To be able to behave normally – as a dog.
• To be housed with or apart from other animals, (whatever is best for that particular animal).
• To be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease – not leaving your dog suffering from an infection or open wound.

I really hope this helps all dogs, cats and other pets get the basic care they deserve.
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