Leaving your dog in a car on a hot day for anything more than five minutes could be dangerous to their health, caravan owners have been warned.
Richard Allport, holistic vet and principle of the Natural Medicine Centre, has said that, even when cars are parked out of direct sunlight, it can quickly get too hot for a pet.
“Dogs don’t sweat like humans do, they can only lose heat by panting. But of course, when they’re panting it puts more heat out, so they are warming up the car even more,” he explained.
Furthermore, Mr Allport advised tow car owners that leaving the window open a crack “doesn’t work” and added that dogs should always have an easy-to-reach supply of water on hot days.
His advice comes after a caravan owner was recently rebuked by animal welfare services for leaving his dog in an overheated tourer near the coastal resort of Brighton.
The canine, a border collie named Robbie, was taken into care as a result.
