Kelowna SPCA Already Responding to Dogs Left in Hot Vehicles

We hear the same cautionary tale every summer: don’t leave your dog or animals inside a hot vehicle, and yet despite the continuous warnings, the Kelowna SPCA is still responding to similar incidents of neglect.

On Thursday morning alone, the Kelowna SPCA responded to about five reports of animals left unattended inside a hot vehicle, said Cam Buksa with the Kelowna SPCA.

“It’s very dangerous to leave your pets inside a hot car for any period of time, even with the window open,” added Buksa. “It can take less than ten minutes for an animal to start shutting down.”

Considering the temperature is only going to continue to climb here in the Okanagan, Buksa reiterated the severity of damage that can be caused from leaving our four-legged friends in a hot car.

“It’s essentially cooking them from the inside out,” explained Buksa.

In only a short period of time, the temperature inside a car can double or nearly triple. Suffocating in the dense heat, a dog can start to exhibit symptoms of heat stroke in less than ten minutes. Symptoms of heatstroke include, salivation, anxious expression, lack of coordination, and convulsions and vomiting.

Quickly overheating, a dog’s internal organs can begin to fail because they can't cool themselves down.

It’s a small window of time, but even running into the store while your dog waits in the car is incredibly dangerous.

“No matter how long you think you’re going to be, it’s always safer just to leave the animal at home or at least travel with someone who can remain in the vehicle while the other person goes into the store,” said Buksa.

Leaving a pet in a hot vehicle is not only dangerous, but it can also be costly. Now under city bylaw, leaving an animal in a hot vehicle can result in a $150 fine.

“If you wouldn’t sit in a vehicle with a fur coat on, I don’t think it’s going to be very comfortable for the animal either. You have to consider how uncomfortable and risky it is to have an animal sitting in a hot car,” reiterated Buksa.

For more information on the dangers of keeping pets inside a hot vehicle, visit the SPCA website.

To report an incident, call the Kelowna SPCA at 250-861-7722.