Please don't leave your pets in the car!

Information compiled by Bron

There is no safe way to leave a dog (or any other pet) in a car in hot weather.  Leaving windows open and a water bowl is not enough. A dog left in a warm car will quickly begin to suffer from heat-stroke and can die an agonizing death. On a warm day the inside of a car can become like an oven and each year a number of dogs are literally cooked to death after being left in vehicles.

Even if you park your car in the shade, the position of the sun will change.

A little sun can turn a car into an oven with temperatures of over 160 degrees. On a 78 degree day the temperature inside a shaded car can be 90 degrees within minutes.

Dogs' only sweat glands are on the soles of their feet, and up to 90% of their body is covered with hair - panting and salivating causes them to lose massive amounts of fluid and dehydrate quickly. Animals can succumb to heatstroke in less than 15 minutes.

Dogs with short noses are more susceptible to heat-stroke.

If a dog becomes overheated, give it an immediate shower or bath in cool water. In particular cool the dog's head and call the vet as soon as possible, once a dog goes into shock and loses consciousness it may be too late.