Even on an overcast day in coastal Encinitas, the mid-day temperature inside the car rose from 71 degrees to 111 in just over two minutes, causing Niki Plasse to dash outside the vehicle at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society.
Plasse, the community outreach manager at RCHS, volunteered to bake in the organization’s branded Volvo Wednesday to show the public just how quickly temperatures can rise in cars on summer days. She and her organization urged the public not to leave dogs (or children, the elderly, people on medication or really anybody) in vehicles, even for a quick stop.
“It’s going to be hot in there no matter what,” she said. “It’s pretty much always a bad idea to do it, but we see so many instances of people leaving dogs in the car.”
Temperatures even on a balmy day quickly spiked to 90 degrees in 50 seconds, 101 degrees in 75 seconds and finally 111 degrees in two minutes, two seconds, causing Plasse to tap out for safety reasons.
John Van Zante, the spokesman for RCHS, has led the car temperature demonstrations at the north county animal shelter since 2000. He was prompted to do so when a humane society employee had gone to pick up a dog from a normal veterinary checkup and a family rushed in with a very ill dog.
According to that family, they had left the windows cracked for their pet while they were at the beach for two hours. This, Van Zante said, makes almost no difference in the vehicle’s interior temperature. When the family returned to the vehicle, the dog was barely conscious. By the time they had raced to the veterinary hospital, the animal’s organs had shut down, and the dog died shortly thereafter.
“A dog’s body temperature is 102 degrees, so if they are in a car where the air is now heated up to 138 degrees, every pant they take to cool down actually heats them up further,” Van Zante said. “If there’s any doubt, just don’t do it.”
California is a “Right to Rescue” state, which allows citizens to break into a vehicle to save an animal if it’s in imminent danger, provided they meet certain conditions and contact authorities first.
Plasse said recently she saw a husky/German shepherd mix sitting alone in a hot car. Her first instinct was to smash open the vehicle’s window, but she took the legal steps first, checking all the windows to see if any were open or if air conditioning was on. She then shouted out loud to see if the owner was nearby, then checked to see if the doors were locked. Without any other recourse, she then called the police to report the animal in crisis.
“This dog was not doing well,” she said.
The owner returned before the police arrived, but circumstances such as this are not at all uncommon in San Diego County — generally a more temperate climate than nearby Los Angeles, Inland Empire or Arizona. If no owner arrives in the nick of time, you are legally allowed to break into a vehicle to save an animal’s life. However, RCHS encourages you to take photos and/or videos before and during any such efforts to prove your case should it come to that.
“If you’ve taken all the steps,” Van Zante said. “Do what your conscience tells you to.”
Because dogs do not sweat, panting that does not bring relief can quickly cause heat exhaustion, which can bring diarrhea, nausea and a reddening of gums and skin on the inside of the ears. If this occurs, offer the dog sips (not drinks) of water and dampen it with cool (not cold) water in a shady, cooler place.
If heat exhaustion goes on for too long, heat stroke can set in. Organs will begin shutting down and the pup will need immediate emergency veterinary care. Symptoms include disorientation and walking like it is inebriated, confusion, excessive drooling, dry gums, lethargy, loss of consciousness, rapid heartbeat, rectal bleeding and a body temperature of 105 or higher.
If you believe your dog is suffering from heat stroke, hose it down with cool water and rush it to the nearest veterinarian. Heat stroke may take as long as three days to set in.
City News Service contributed to article.
