BY PETE MOHR | JULY 7, 2010
It’s Desert Tortoise time again!
Adoptions of Desert Tortoises are underway again (through late September) at Phoenix Herpetological Society, the official adoption agency of Arizona Department of Game & Fish for these wonderful creatures of our Sonoran Desert. Recently, Rick and Shari Vogel of Ahwatukee and their sons, Alex, 9, and Max, 5, became the newest adoptive family. The next “Adoption Day” will be Saturday, July 17.
Please e-mail inquiries to Wendy Cassidy, wendy@ phoenixherp.com, or call Dan Marchand at 602-550-7029.
JULY 7, 2010
Leaving your pet in a parked car can be a deadly mistake
With the summer months upon us, it's time for a reminder about the dangers of leaving your pet in a parked car. Whether you're parking in the shade, just running into the store, or leaving the windows cracked, it is still NOT okay to leave your pet in a parked car. On hot and humid days, the temperature in a car parked in direct sunlight can rise more than 30 degrees per minute, and quickly become lethal. Parking in the shade or leaving the windows cracked does very little to alleviate this pressure cooker.
Stanford University School of Medicine conducted a study to measure the temperature rise inside a parked car on sunny days, finding that even on a relatively cool day, the temperature inside a parked car can quickly spike to life-threatening levels if the sun is out.
"If more people knew the danger of leaving their pets in their parked car, they probably wouldn't do it," states Kim Salerno, TRIPSwithPETS.com President and Founder. "Pets are very susceptible to overheating as they are much less efficient at cooling themselves than people are" adds Salerno. The solution is simple – leave your pets at home if the place you are going does not allow pets.
Dogs are designed to conserve heat. Their sweat glands, which exist on their nose and the pads of their feet, are inadequate for cooling during hot days. Panting and drinking water helps cool them, but if they only have hot air to breathe, dogs can suffer brain and organ damage after just 15 minutes. Short-nosed breeds, young pets, seniors or pets with weight, respiratory, cardiovascular or other health problems are especially susceptible to heat-related stress.
Signs of heat stress include: heavy panting, glazed eyes, a rapid pulse, unsteadiness, a staggering gait, vomiting or a deep red or purple tongue.
If a pet becomes overheated, immediately lowering their body temperature is a must:
Move the pet into the shade and apply cool (not cold) water all over their body to gradually lower their temperature.
Apply ice packs or cool towels to the pet's head, neck and chest only.
Allow the pet to drink small amounts of cool water or lick ice cubes.
Then take the pet to the nearest vet.
Creating greater awareness is the key to preventing pets from this unnecessary suffering.
Tripswithpets.com offers some tips to help spread the word.
