Dubai: With temperatures rising in the UAE, a warning advising pet owners in the UAE to take extra care of their animals, has been issued by the Dubai British Veterinary Hospital.
The warning was issued as a reminder after the hospital witnessed a wave of serious animal incidents last summer.
Between May and August 2015 four dogs died and ten more were successfully revived after suffering serious heat-related problems at the hospital. Over 30 pets also presented minor climate-related problems.
“Summer is going to hit without warning and we need to be prepared. It is already too hot for some breeds to cool down easily. Animals have limited ability to sweat — they shed heat through their paws, which severely impairs their ability to cool down. Owners must take particular care when their pets are young, old, short-faced or heavily coated,” said Dr Sara Elliott, the hospital’s director of veterinary services.
Hoping to avoid last summer’s “horrors”, Dr Elliot said awareness about the dangers of high temperatures to pets is crucial.
“A low point last year was when a family’s employees brought a Rottweiler who had collapsed after being left tied up outside in the heat. The family’s domestic workers had wrapped the dog in polythene sheeting to stop it making a mess during the 40-minute journey to our Jumeirah branch in the bed of their truck fully exposed to the sun,” she said.
The dog had a temperature of 45 degrees when he arrived at the clinic and had suffered irreparable brain damage and was euthanised.
On another occasion a relocation company took two dogs and a cat to the airport for export checks during the height of summer but left them in the car without air conditioning for well over an hour while completing paperwork. “The animals basically cooked in the car and we received them at the hospital with two already dead and the other beyond help. It was one of the hardest calls I’ve ever made, calling the family in the UK, who were excited about receiving their beloved animals, and breaking the bad news, which was made worse when discovering it was the daughter’s birthday,” said Dr Elliot.
She explained that animals saved from heat-related conditions are often left with long-term damage to their brains, organs, hearing and sight, with some developing seizures, heart disease, changes in personality, plus requirements for complex and expensive diets.
10 tips for keeping animals safe in the heat
1. Don’t let your pets walk on ground that you can’t hold the palm of your hand on for 15 seconds
2. Never leave pets in a parked car for any time in the heat
3. Don’t leave pets at home for more than eight hours
4. Ensure your maid or home help is trained and briefed if looking after your animals
5. Limit exercise to evenings and mornings and only walk once long coats are trimmed
6. Don’t rely on a fan — pets do not sweat like us, so fans can have little effect
7. Provide ample shade and water whenever outside
8. Prepare for power issues, by having a back up house to take your pet to in emergencies
9. Consider effective gadgets, such as cool mats and jackets
10. Forget door flaps to the garden, which can jam with devastating consequences
