We all suffer in hot weather. However, for elderly and disabled people and those with chronic health conditions such as vascular disease or diabetes, the weather does not have to hit 100 degrees to cause heat stress or even deadly heat stroke….and don’t forget your dog!!
As we age, we gradually lose the ability to perspire and regulate our body temperature. This is why older people tend to overdress—they don't feel heat the same way anymore. Heart rates do not speed up-or return to normal-as fast during exercise. Older skin also thins and offers less protection from the sun. Poor circulation, heart, lung and kidney diseases, and high blood pressure increase the risk for heat-related illness. Being overweight or underweight also increases risk....and don't forget your dog!!!
A Naples, Florida, man was convicted of cruelty recently when his dog died after being locked in a car for four hours on a warm day. The dead dog’s temperature was still almost 110ºF a full two hours after police removed him from the car. The man was sentenced to six months in jail and slapped with a $1,000 fine for “animal cruelty by abandonment.”
I always try to have sympathy for defendants before making a decision,” the sentencing judge told the man. “I don’t have any sympathy for you.”
Why was the judge so unsympathetic? Because he believed that the man, a doctor, should have known better than to leave a dog in a car for hours with one window cracked just an inch. Indeed, all of us should know better, especially when temperatures climb into the 80s and 90s like they are this weekend. But even a mild day can be dangerous. In May, a dog died after being locked in a parked car on a sunny, 67°F day in Albany, N.Y., even though the car windows had allegedly been left open a crack.
During the “dog days” of summer, the temperature inside a parked car can climb to well above 100ºF degrees in just a matter of minutes. Beating the heat is extra tough for dogs because they can only cool themselves by panting and sweating through their paw pads. Their PAW PADS! So when you are walking your dog on a hot day....on the sidewalk....think!!
In this weather...heatstroke can come on quickly and result in brain damage or death. Watch for symptoms such as restlessness, excessive thirst, heavy panting, and lethargy, lack of appetite, dark tongue, rapid heartbeat, fever, vomiting, or lack of coordination. If your dog shows any of these symptoms, get her or him into the shade immediately and call your veterinarian. Lower the animal’s body temperature gradually by providing water to drink, applying a cold towel or ice pack to the head, neck, and chest, or immersing the dog in lukewarm (not cold) water.
Many people don’t realize how quickly animals left in a hot car or outside without shade or water can succumb to the heat.
Never leave a dog in a parked car. On a mild 73ºF day, the temperature inside a car can reach 120ºF in 30 minutes. On a 90ºF day, the interior of a vehicle can reach 160ºF in minutes. Next time I see this in Portland...a dog in the car on a hot day with the window slightly cracked....prepare yourself when you come out from your shopping spree....I'll have a surprise for you! (a well-ventilated car)....
Please...don't be stupid.
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