Lumpy stays cool
Because rescuing dogs from cars and other areas is a hot media topic this summer, it seems like a good idea to remind rescuers of their obligations to these animals. Sometimes it’s easy to get so caught up in the rescue process that the animal’s needs become secondary. The rescuer breaks into a car, grabs the dog, maybe leaves some documentation of some sort, and heads for the nearest veterinary clinic to drop the animal off for care.
But when it comes to heatstroke, what rescuers do in those first moments may mean the difference between life and death for the animal. Studies indicate that animals who have been cooled down before being transported have a lower mortality rate than those who have not.
So if you’re one of those people on the look-out for dogs in parked cars or other hot locations to rescue, please be prepared to help those animals survive as well as to rescue them. Have a supply of water—lukewarm is best—and a spray bottle in your own vehicle so you immediately can wet the animal down to begin the cooling process. Then drive to the veterinary clinic with the all the car windows rolled down or the air conditioning on.