LAKE COUNTY- A happy image of a dog in a car, hanging its head out the window in sheer delight, ears flopping and tongue flapping in the wind, tires squealing in delight under the delicious weight of the simple joys only man”s best friend can own.
That image can quickly disintegrate into a tragedy when the owner parks the vehicle, gets out, and leaves their pet for a few minutes. So while we love to treat our dogs to a ride along in our automobile, officials are saying, “In this heat? No way! Please people, leave the dog at home!”
Animal Care and Control in Lake County have experienced at least one call per day about dogs left unattended in hot cars this summer, where they quickly become dehydrated and can die. They hope that a little public education can help head off further tragedies than those that have already occurred this summer.
Lake County Animal Control Officer Dolores Lackey last week responded to a call about a dog that was in the back of a truck suffering from heat exhaustion.
“The dog was in the direct sun, and by the time I got there within 10 minutes, its head was actually hanging over the chain, it was unfocused and unresponsive. I immediately rushed it to the vet and we worked on it for over a half hour. When we took the temperature it was 108 degrees, but it probably had been more than that. We gave it cold ice water, an enema of cold water and it finally started coming around. Now it”s suffering from kidney failure, and probably brain damage. It was 96 degrees outside and it was just about dead,” said Lackey.
On Friday, Lakeport Police Department rescued a dog from a vehicle that had all its windows rolled up, LCAC officials said.
An important thing for people to know is that they can report any dog they see that may be suffering heat stroke in Lake County this summer. The number to call is 263-0278.
Dogs cool themselves by panting, and heatstroke involves pain, seizures and trauma before death. Dogs can be at risk any time when the temperatures outside near or exceed 100 degrees, and cars create an added greenhouse effect that makes a closed car a death trap for animals-spiking the temperature to 115 or more in a short period of 15 minutes.
Add another 15 minutes of time and the dog can be dead, according to animal control officials. Additionally, body temperatures above 105 degrees cause brain damage and other problems that afflict the dog it”s whole life. Dogs will drink twice the amount of water they normally do during typical Lake County summer weather, so it is important that plenty of water is available.
When the mercury rises in that temperature gauge, local officials and veterinarians want pet owners to be extra conscientious about caring for their pets.
Cats are better than dogs at cooling themselves, and sweat through their paws, so a cool place to stand is important for both cats and dogs. The rule of thumb, according to the LCAC Web site, is to not let any animal walk on a surface that you could not walk on barefoot.
If a dog or cat appears overwhelmed by heat, Lackey recommends getting it wet with cool water and taking it to the vet.
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com
