SUMMER HEAT POSES SERIOUS HEALTH THREAT TO PETS

The doors are locked, the windows are up and the temperature inside a parked car in a store lot is up to a 110 degrees in the July sun.

If your dog was left in this car, it would die within 10 to 15 minutes, said Dr. Wanda Pipkin.

Pipkin is a veterinarian at Pet Medical Center at 660 S. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. Animals are at risk when the temperature inside a car is over 90 degrees, she said.

Leaving a dog or any other pet in a car with no ventilation in high degree heat is a criminal offense.

"If a person is found doing this, they can be given a cruelty to animals charge," said Charles Stucker, Cape Girardeau city health officer.

Stucker, who has been handling calls about locked up animals in cars for 10 years now, said that the temperature inside a car can climb from 70 degrees (in air conditioning) to 115 degrees in a matter of 3-5 minutes in a open parking lot. Once that temperature is reached, a dog or other pet has at best half an hour to live.

"A lot of people are just ignorant of what the heat can do to an animal in a car," said Stucker. "They want to be nice to their animals by taking them out and getting them away from home for a while.

"But if you know you'll have to leave your pet in the car for a while, you'd be better off just to leave them at home."

Pipkin said it's hard for animals, dogs especially, to cool off in a sealed up car.

"Dogs do sweat a little, but it only comes out around their foot pads," she said. "They have no sweat pores on their body at all. They cool down from evaporation from the tongue during panting.

"When they get hot, panting will increase. But if they are in a car, humidity will rise. No evaporation can take place from their cooling systems in high humidity. Humidity is hard on animals."

Ultimately, without relief, the animal can go into convulsions and pass out, said Pipkin.

Stucker said that he has had only one valid call so far this summer concerning pets in locked cars. He said that public awareness of the problem has increased.

"When I first started handling calls on this 10 years ago," said Stucker, "I thought that the abuse those first few years was worse than it is now. I think people that were ignorant about this in the past have been made more aware and they are more careful now about this."

Stucker explained how he handles calls about animals trapped in hot cars.

"If I got a call that there was an animal in a car in a store parking lot," said Stucker, "first, I would run the plates and find out who the vehicle belongs to. Then I would go into the store and try to page the owner.

"If I can't get a hold of them, I have the authority to open up the car and take the animal out."

Depending on the condition of the animal, Stucker said he will either take it to an area veterinarian on call with the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri or take it to the animal shelter where it will be held for three days.

If the owner of the animal fails to pick it up in three days, it will become the property of the Humane Society, said Stucker. Most of the time people do come in to pick up their pets, he said.

Pipkin said that pet owners should take some precautions to protect their animals during the hot summer weather.

"Animals need fresh, cool water two to three times a day," she said, "and they need access to shady areas. Some people trim their pets' hair during the summer. If you do that, you have to be careful not to shave it too short because they can get severe sun burns."

Persons interested in more information about summer pet care can call the Humane Society at 334-5837 or Pipkin at 339-1199.