Cars are dangerous place for pets
Summertime brings on a whole range of animal issues and problems. One of these concerns pets in vehicles.
In warm weather, the temperature in a parked vehicle can rise to a dangerous or even fatal level for pets left inside — even when the windows are partly open.
Every year, reports come in from all over the country about pet owners returning to their cars after “just a few minutes shopping” to find pets seriously ill, dying or dead from being trapped in a hot car. It’s impossible to over-publicize this danger.
We pet owners need to be reminded that animals do not have sweat glands and can only keep cool by panting. It is important that they have cool air to circulate through their lungs. Cool water must be available at all times, and outdoor pets must have shade.
There aren’t any laws requiring pets to wear safety belts or harnesses when riding in automobiles, so it’s up to their owners to ensure their safety.
Accidents can occur if a dog tangles with the driver, so it’s best to keep your pet in the back seat, behind a wire hairier. Or, if you want your dog to ride up front with you, accustom him to wearing a harness (available at pet stores) that attaches to the seat belt.
Cats should always be confined to a carrier because their movements can be dangerously erratic.
Veterinarians see so many pickup dog injuries these days, they’re starting to call the wounds P.D.I. for short. A P.D.I. is an injury that results when dogs ride in the backs of their owner’s pickup trucks.
True, dogs seem to enjoy the freedom of riding with their heads to the wind. All too often, the animals are injured when they jump or fall from the backs of moving trucks. Dogs also injure their eyes, which dry out when trucks travel at freeway speeds. On hot days, dogs also burn their paws on a truck’s metal bed.
Another danger comes when owners attempt to tether their dogs in the back of the truck. Sometimes the dogs try to jump out while the truck is moving and are dragged along the pavement. This can cause terrible abrasions called road burns.
Some areas have laws that prohibit dogs from being transported in an unsafe manner. But the main responsibility is yours.
The best solution is if you have to transport your dog in the back of a pickup, use a cage or tie your dog so that he stays in the center of the track and don’t use a choke collar around the neck, which can strangle the dog.
Q: Why are the hottest days of summer called dog days?
A. Sirius, the dog star, is ascending during July and August. The folk belief held that the star lent its heat to the earth to create the heat of summer.
June 27 is “take your dog to work day.” Be sure to check with your boss first.
– June Augsburg of Monroe writes pet columns that run in Monday editions of the Times.
Source: www.themonroetimes.com
