As temperatures continue to soar to extremes in the Central West, pet owners need to be aware of the potentially lethal consequences of neglecting their pet’s needs in the heat, the RSPCA has said.
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“With the hotter weather we see a lot more people calling concerned with animals not having enough water or not having appropriate access to shade,” RSPCA NSW Media Liason Stefania Kubowicz said on Friday.
Ms. Kubowicz advised pet owners in the region to ensure their pets always had a plentiful supply of fresh water and were kept indoors or in shaded areas with adequate ventilation at all times during the summer months.
She also warned against leaving pets alone in parked vehicles in the heat.
“We also see a spike in heat stress with dogs being left in cars,” Ms. Kubowicz said.
A press release issued by RSPCA Australia last month told of the potential consequences of leaving animals unattended in vehicles, particularly in the summer heat.
“It only takes six minutes for an animal to die from heat stroke,” RSPCA Chief Commander O’Shannessy said in the release.
“Cars parked in the sun can reach temperatures in excess of 80 degrees Celsius,” Mr. O’Shannessy said. “Parked cars are death traps,” he said.
According to the release, if a dog dies from being left alone in a vehicle, the dog’s owner can face fines up to $22,000 and may receive a maximum two year prison sentence.
Another concern for pets brought on by the heat is the paralysis tick season, Ms. Kubowicz said.
“We see a spike in things like paralysis ticks [in summer] – we often see people bringing in their pets to veterinary hospitals with ticks after a trip to the coast,” she said.
Deaths of pets due to paralysis ticks can be prevented if owners restrict pet’s access to scrub areas and bush land where ticks are harbored, are aware of the symptoms of tick paralysis and take their animal to the vet immediately if ticks are found on their pet, an additional press release issued by the RSPCA said.
Over 10,000 dogs are affected by tick paralysis annually in Australia and in over 500 of these cases the effects of the ticks prove fatal for the animal, according to the release.
However, on a more positive note, Ms. Kubowicz said over the Christmas period in NSW, the RSPCA reported no recorded increase in animals being surrendered to animal shelters or being neglected due to owners leaving their pets unattended while they go on holiday.
“Most pet owners are able to make appropriate arrangements for their pets when they leave them to go on a holiday,” Ms. Kubowicz said.
