Hot hot hot!

We're all loving the gorgeous sunshine the country is currently basking in. But the RSPCA urging pet owners to make sure their four-legged friends do not frazzle in the heat after it has seen a huge rise in the numbers of calls about animals left in hot environments.

Between 1 and 26 April, the RSPCA received calls about 968 dogs and 281 other animals trapped in either hot cars, buildings or even gardens without shade.  This compared to 610 dogs and 81 other animals in 2010.

With the record temperatures over the Easter weekend and forecasts of more sunny weather to come, we're reminding dog owners not to leave their pets in cars, conservatories or caravans while they enjoy the sunshine.

All too often, owners make the mistake of thinking that it is sufficient to leave a bowl of water or a window open for their pet but this is not enough to protect your pet from heatstroke, which can have fatal consequences. 

Our message is: ‘Dogs die in hot cars. Don’t leave your dog alone in a car.’

As an example, the temperature inside a vehicle can soar to 47 degrees within 60 minutes when the outside temperature is 22 degrees.  Even in lower temperatures, if it is sunny or slightly warm outside, a vehicle can become hot very quickly.

Other dangers are:

Cloud cover can disappear quickly.

All dogs will suffer, but some dogs are more prone to heatstroke. For example, dogs that are old, young, short nosed, long-haired, overweight or heavily muscled are more at risk, as well as dogs with certain diseases.

Temperatures in air conditioned cars can reach the same temperature as outside within just five minutes of the air conditioning being turned off.

The most obvious sign of heat stroke in dogs is excessive panting and profuse salivation. Other signs include:

Overly red or purple gums

A rapid pulse

Lack of co-ordination, reluctance or inability to rise after collapsing, seizures, vomiting or diarrhoea

Coma or death in extreme instances

Owners who fear their dog may be suffering from heat stroke should act with great urgency. Pets should be moved to a cooler spot straight away before ringing your vet for advice immediately.

Douse your dog with cool (not cold) water. You could put your dog in a shower and run cool water over him/her, spray your dog with cool water and place him/her in the breeze of a fan. Never cool your dog so much that he/she begins to shiver

Let your dog drink small amounts of cool water

Continue to douse your dog with cool water until his/her breathing starts to settle and then take him/her straight to the veterinary surgery

And don't forget your sun cream too!

Helping the silent sufferers of domestic abuse

After five months of planning, preparing and planning some more, the day had arrived! Yesterday saw the launch of the PetRetreat nationwide appeal for fosterers.

RSPCA PetRetreat fosters animals belonging to people fleeing domestic violence.

All too often, women and men find themselves trapped in abusive relationships and feel unable to leave through fear of what may happen to their pets if they are left behind. Quite understandably, temporary accommodation and refuges tend to not allow pets.

PetRetreat looks after these special animals, who may have been victims of abuse themselves, until they can be reunited with their owners in a new safe and secure home.

Over the years since PetRetreat was launched in 2002, dedicated staff at PetRetreat have heard some harrowing tales. Take Petra, the loyal family dog, who had to have her leg amputated when it was left so badly damaged after being repeatedly abused by someone’s partner. Another lady who asked for our help said her dog used to put himself between her violent partner and their children to try and protect them.

This year has seen a record number of people asking for PetRetreat’s help with more than 100 calls being handled every week. On lots of occasions, people would like us to care for more than one animal so we have to try and find foster homes for hundreds of cats and dogs every month. But, this has become an almost impossible feat with a network of only 80 fosterers throughout England and Wales – only one being over the Welsh border.

So, after all the preparation, the media appeal for fosterers was launched on BBC Breakfast yesterday morning. The scheme was given wonderful publicity and it got our phone lines ringing. By Midday, nearly 400 people had applied which was an overwhelming response.

I can only say thank you to everyone who came forward wanting to make a difference to lives of people suffering domestic violence. With your help, we can help to stop them from living in fear and provide a new lease of life for their pets who are the silent sufferers of such tragic situations.

If you think you could open your heart and home and foster an animal through PetRetreat, call 0300 123 8000 or log onto www.rspca.org.uk/petretreat