On Wednesday, the temperature in Williston was 85 degrees so we decided to put the dog Life-Meter to the test! We affixed the decal to the inside of a car window and waited one hour before returning to the parking lot see how high the internal temperature of the car was. To our surprise the inside temp had climbed to 130 degrees!
Our vehicles can quickly reach a temperature that puts pets at serious risk of illness and even death. Even on a day that doesn’t seem hot to us–and cracking the windows makes no difference.
Please do not leave your precious pets in your vehicle.
| Estimated Vehicle Interior Air Temperature vs. Elapsed Time | |||||||
| Elapsed time | Outside Air Temperature (F) | ||||||
| 70 | 75 | 80 | 85 | 90 | 95 | ||
| 0 minutes | 70 | 75 | 80 | 85 | 90 | 95 | |
| 10 minutes | 89 | 94 | 99 | 104 | 109 | 114 | |
| 20 minutes | 99 | 104 | 109 | 114 | 119 | 124 | |
| 30 minutes | 104 | 109 | 114 | 119 | 124 | 129 | |
| 40 minutes | 108 | 113 | 118 | 123 | 128 | 133 | |
| 50 minutes | 111 | 116 | 121 | 126 | 131 | 136 | |
| 60 minutes | 113 | 118 | 123 | 128 | 133 | 138 | |
| > 1 hour | 115 | 120 | 125 | 130 | 135 | 140 | |
Courtesy Jan Null, CCM; Department of Geosciences, San Francisco State University
Symptoms of overheating in dogs include:
| Heavy panting | Elevated body temperature |
| Excessive thirst | Weakness, collapse |
| Glazed eyes | Increased pulse and heartbeat |
| Vomiting, bloody diarrhea | Seizures |
| Bright or dark red tongue, gums | Excessive drooling |
| Staggering | Unconsciousness |
By the time a dog is exhibiting symptoms of heatstroke, it’s often too late to save him.
Written by: Aimee Gilfillan