SAVING ORPHAN SOULS RESCUE - What happens to dogs in hot cars?
Dogs in hot cars can suffer from potentially fatal heat stroke in as little as 15 minutes. Dogs die in hot cars as they can overheat very quickly and struggle to cool themselves down, even when a window has been left open or water has been left in the car. Our dog in car temperature chart shows how quickly a car can heat up in hot weather.
Every year, hundreds of pets die from heat exhaustion because they are left in parked vehicles. We've all heard the explanations: "Oh, it will just be a few minutes while I go into the store," or "But I cracked the windows..." These explanations don't amount to much if your pet becomes seriously ill or dies from being left in a vehicle.
The temperature inside your vehicle can rise almost 20º F in just 10 minutes, and almost 30º F in 20 minutes. The longer you wait, the higher it goes. At one hour, your vehicle's inside temperature can be more than 40 degrees higher than the outside temperature. Even on a 70-degree day, that's 110 degrees inside your vehicle!
Your vehicle can quickly reach a temperature that puts your pet at risk of serious illness and even death, even on a day that doesn't seem hot to you. And cracking the windows makes no difference.
The temperatures in a dark sedan as well as a light gray minivan parked on a hot, but partly cloudy day, can exceed 125oF within 20 minutes.
Cracking the windows has very little effect on the temperature rise inside the vehicle. This is definitely a situation where "love 'em and leave 'em" is a good thing. Please leave your pets at home at home when you can...they'll be safe and happily waiting for you to come home.
