We may not have the temperatures that drove Iran to declare it was too hot for people to go to work, but it is getting pretty hot, hot enough to cause serious damage.
If it is 32˚C outside, then it is close to 40˚C in the car, even with the windows rolled down while driving, unless your air conditioning is on. It is just not a good idea to be driving around anywhere during peak hours, let alone taking your pets along.
We may be able to survive, but there are some key reasons why dogs cannot. First of all, we sweat, profusely, to cool down through evaporation. Dogs only sweat through their paws and breath heavily to cool themselves down, which is barely enough for most.
The problem here is that as they are breathing, they are taking in the temperature of the air around them and at 40˚C, they are actually heating up. This temperature is enough to kill or even cause permanent brain damage.
The first thing you should do with any animal that is suffering the effects of the heat is to remove them immediately from where it is hot and take them somewhere cool. Your next steps should involve anything you have available to bring their temperature down to normal.
If you have rubbing alcohol, pour it over their neck and groin area too, as this cools them down faster than water alone. There are arteries going through the neck and groin, which helps reducing the heat as it circulates the cooler blood better. If you curl your fingers around your dog’s back legs and press a little, you should be able to locate a pulse and locate the best place to help cool them down.
Don’t use ice alone, as this may complicate things further and save some water for the animal to drink when he comes around. Ultimately, this deserves a visit to the vet. Heat stroke can leave some serious damage, which needs to be checked and ruled out before symptoms show up.
Unfortunately, we have received reports from people seeing animals waiting in cars in queues and going on the ferry to Gozo during peak hot hours. This is dangerous as they have to endure the heat on the way to the ferry, when they’re waiting, in all likelihood on the ferry and then during the drive to their destination.
The more sensitive dogs are the brachycephalic breeds. They are overweight because their cooling systems cannot cope with the amount of body mass that needs to be cooled down. These are the ones that can die just from riding around too long on a sunny day.
SPCA Malta recommends that animals should only be taken out early in the morning or late in the afternoon when it is cooler.
Insect repellents should also be used to prevent infection with leishmaniasis (sandfly). Dogs should be kept indoors for the rest of the day, given fresh water and good ventilation.
Christina Pace is an education officer at the SPCA.