QUEENSLAND’S peak animal protection service the RSPCA has released this horrific photograph of a dog lying dead while its companion pants furiously in the heat to bring home the stark reality of heat stress.
RSPCA Qld spokesperson Michael Beatty said since November the RSPCA had received 483 calls reporting heat stress in pets.
“Every year our Inspectors are called to incidents where dogs have died or are near death because of the heat,” he said.
“In this case both dogs were tethered and it appears they became entangled.
“A dog can survive for days without food, but in these temperatures, if they don’t have shade or can’t reach water they’ll die.
“We’ve seen cases where a rope or a chain has become entangled in furniture or plants and that can be fatal.
“It’s far better to make the yard or courtyard secure and then it won’t be necessary to tether the dog in the first place.
“We would also recommend that there are at least two to three containers of water in case one gets knocked over.”
Mr Beatty said in the year so far, the RSPCA had also received 1202 calls about dogs left in hot cars.
“If it’s 30 degrees outside, the temperature inside a car can potentially rise to well over 40 degrees in less than five minutes. We tested a light coloured sedan and the temperature rose to 57 degrees in 12 minutes. Any animal left inside would have been dead.”
Report animals in distress by phoning the RSPCA’s animal emergency hotline 1300 ANIMAL.
