Warm weather can be very pleasant when outside. But a mild 20° degree can turn the car into a heat trap very fast. Dogs that are left in a locked car can find themselves in a life-threatening situation all too quickly. With a constant outside temperature of 20°C. the inside temperature of the car can rise to around 24°C within five minutes, to 27°C in 10 minutes, to 36°C in 30 minutes and to 46°C within an hour.  When, temperatures are higher than 28°C a dog will have trouble cooling itself down naturally by panting and the chance of heat stroke rises. As the normal body temperature of dogs is 37.5-39 degrees Celsius, a warm car recording a temperature of 43°C can result in a dog suffering from multiple organ failure and possibly even death.

Rolling the windows down, or parking in the shade will only help in the short term but will not prevent temperatures rising and the heat can still cause heat stroke and other ailments.   

FOUR PAWS advises owners to never leave dogs in the car but instead leave dogs at home where they can stay safe, and cool as the temperature rises. Find out more about safely travelling with your dog by car here.

If you find a dog trapped in a car on a warm day, you should act immediately. First, try to find the owner. For example, by speaking to local residents close to the car to find out if they know who the car belongs to or by asking local shops/shopping centres to request the owner via the shop/centre audio system. Mobilise a few people to help, at least one person should stay with the dog to monitor their condition.

If the dog is in danger of heatstroke, you should call the police. They are authorised to break the car window to save the dog. If the condition of the dog worsens before the police arrives and the owner cannot be located despite searching for them, breaking the car window is the only life saving option remaining. Before breaking the window, do take pictures or videos showing the animal’s condition and have at least one other witness with you as property damage may apply.

In case the dog is convulsing, trembling or is already unconscious, there is no time to lose, the dog is in extreme danger. You need to remove the dog from the car and administer care to help save its life.   

First aid measures in case of heat stroke: 

• Regardless of whether the dog is conscious or already unconscious, bring the dog to a cool area (shade).

If the dog is conscious: 

• Carefully cool the dog down with fresh water (do NOT use ice cold water).
• Starting at the paws and limbs, before cooling down the loins, lower abdomen, and neck.
• Offer water to drink.
• Contact a veterinarian immediately!

If the dog is unconscious: 

• Bring the dog into a stable side position (on its right side – to decrease strain on the heart),
• Stretch the neck forward and up,
• Pull out the tongue,
• Cover the dog with moist towels if possible,
• Contact the veterinarian immediately!