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You mean to be kind when you take your dog in the car with you, but you could be risking its life.
On a hot summer day the inside of a car heats very quickly. In an 85-degree day, for example, the temperature inside your car—with the windows slightly opened—will reach 102 degrees in 10 minutes. In 30 minutes it will go up to 120 degrees. On warmer days it will go even higher.
A dog’s normal body temperature is 100.5-102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. A dog can withstand a body temperature above 106 degrees for only a very few minutes before suffering irreparable brain damage, or even death. Being inside the car interferes with the dog’s normal cooling process, that is, evaporation through panting. Dogs cannot sweat.
Heat stroke or heat exhaustion can also occur outside the car. Dogs in pens or chained up and/or that do not have easy access to shade and plenty of fresh cool water succumb to this horrible death every year.
If your dog is overcome by heat exhaustion, you can give immediate first aid by immersing him or her in cold water until you can transport the dog to your veterinarian.
(The Animal Protection Institute previously published some of this information.)
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