Pet Safety Alert for Drivers: Keep it Cool During the Summer

CitizenShipper CitizenShipper · Updated: June 20, 2023 / Published: June 13, 2019
https://citizenshipper.com/blog/furniture-shipping-company

We’ve previously covered the topic of pet summer safety in transportation, but usually from the owner’s perspective. Here, we wanted to try something different — raising transporter awareness of just how important it is to be extra cautious during the hottest months of the year.

The following is an overview of summer pet safety hazards that pet transporters should keep in mind. We hope it’ll serve as a primer for new drivers on the platform, and a reminder for the veterans.

Overheating and Dehydration

When it’s hot outside, many animals struggle to regulate their body temperature. Neither cats nor dogs sweat as humans do, which makes them vulnerable to overheating. During transport, steps must be taken to mitigate these risks.

One precaution that often gets mentioned is never leaving pets alone inside locked vehicles. When the car isn’t moving, the A/C is either off or functioning at a reduced capacity. This means the inside of the vehicle can get very hot very quickly:

Temperature /
Elapsed Time		 70º 75 º 80 º 85 º 90 º 95º
10 min 89 º 94 º 99 º 104 º 109 º 114 º
20 min 99 º 104 º 109 º 114 º 119 º 124 º
30 min 104 º 109 º 114 º 119 º 124 º 129 º
40 min 108 º 113 º 118 º 123 º 128 º 133 º
50 min 111 º 116 º 121 º 126 º 131 º 136 º
60 min 113 º 118 º 123 º 128 º 133 º 138 º

The heat rises even quicker if you’re transporting multiple pets at once. Each body in the vehicle is generating heat and adding to the problem. If left on their own in these escalating conditions, animals are helpless and in severe danger of heatstroke. But when a human is around, it’s easy to turn the engine back on and restart the A/C.

Beyond that, here are several common-sense measures you can take to keep pets safe during summertime transportation:

  • Hydration: Make sure that each pet has access to plenty of fresh water at all times.
  • Ventilation: Make sure the pet carriers are positioned so that each has a good airflow going.
  • Monitoring: Keep an eye out for warning signs such as excessive panting or drooling, listlessness and dizziness. If left unchecked, these symptoms can progress to vomiting and unconsciousness.

Walking in Warm Weather

Of course, heat hazards are not only an issue inside the vehicle. When you stop and take the pet out for a potty break, they can be directly exposed to sunlight. For some dogs – particularly those with shaggy black pelts – this might be enough to put them at risk. Try to keep these sensitive animals in the shade whenever possible, even while out on a walk.

Do not walk dogs on hot pavement, especially if they’re short-legged. You might not notice this, but the heat coming off of the surface can make it highly uncomfortable for them. More importantly, if their paws get blistered, it becomes even harder for them to regulate temperature.

Hot asphalt warning sign

In or out of the vehicle, if the animal appears to be overheating, here’s what you can do:

  • Move them to a cool, shaded environment as soon as possible.
  • If they’re able to drink, offer them fresh water, cold but without ice.
  • Use a wet cloth to gently wipe their paw pads, necks, or tongues.
  • Check their temperature. Anywhere between 103 and 106 degrees is considered elevated.
  • If they’re still struggling, get them to the nearest vet.

High-Risk Canine Breeds

Since dogs come in all shapes and sizes, there are certain breeds that face greater difficulties in warm weather. For the purposes of this summary, we’ll split the high-risk breeds into three distinct categories. Still, keep in mind that there’s plenty of overlap there. Owners of these breeds need to be be particularly mindful of summer pet safety.

Short-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds include pugs, bulldogs, Shih-Tzu and many others. They usually suffer from respiratory issues caused by the shortened and often congested breathing pathways. And respiration in dogs, as mentioned before, is closely tied to regulating body temperature.

Long-haired breeds include collies, chow-chows, schnauzers, as well as various shepherds and others. Their luxurious coats aren’t a problem in and of themselves – shaving them, for instance, does not help. However, these animals were bred for colder climates and don’t handle warm weather particularly well.

High-energy breeds include beagles, boxers, as well as many different terriers and spaniels. Put simply, these dogs don’t know when to quit. They require frequent physical activity which, in hot weather, can lead to heat exhaustion. Additionally, some of these breeds are prone to cardiovascular conditions which elevate the dangers posed by heatstroke.

Dogs (and other pets) can also be considered to be “high-risk” individually if they’re overweight, very old, very young or on certain prescription medications. Each of these animals is a story of its own, featuring unique risk factors and necessary precautions. In general, we can only advise closely following the instructions of an animal’s owner and veterinarian.

Overconfident Transporters

Finally, let’s consider one last contributing factor to the pet summer safety issue: transporter confidence. Experienced drivers may think that they’ve got this under control – no animal has ever overheated on their watch. Make sure there’s plenty of water and the A/C is on, what else is there to worry about? Then suddenly, they need to pop out of the car to run a quick errand. It’ll only take a minute or two… maybe five, no more than ten.

And just like that, there goes that perfect record.

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The solution is simple — do not get overly confident. Stay on your toes, don’t make lazy mistakes, and try to stay as attentive to the animal’s needs as possible. Occasionally think about what you might be missing: Would a backseat temperature monitor be a decent investment? How about keeping a rectal thermometer in the car, just in case?

Last year, according to PETA, in 2021, there were 59 canine casualties caused by overheating in the US. While this may not sound like much, keep in mind that the vast majority of such cases go unreported. As a community, CitizenShipper is committed to avoiding adding to this statistic for the year 2023 and beyond.

70 thoughts on “Pet Safety Alert for Drivers: Keep it Cool During the Summer”

  3. Thank you for this information. I am very receptive to any information that can keep the pets left in my care healthy and comfortable. I may already be knowledgeable in some areas but reminders and tips for saftey are very helpful and welcome. Thank you again and keep this information coming.

  4. Thanks this was very informative. Also you can help with extra hydration by mixing water with a clear Gatorade or pedolyte. Really helpful when your traveling Thur the southwest states.

    1. We are glad you liked the article, Joman Pet Transport! Thanks for the feedback 🙂

  7. Thanks for sharing this information regarding car and motorcycle. I really found this very helpful. And your blog about cars and motor cycle is very useful and interesting.

  10. I knew about dogs who don’t do well in the heat. No mention of cats though and what would be a good thermometer

  12. Thank you for the information. I’m a pet owner and I will always make sure as I always do that everything is safe and set correctly.

  13. Thank you for sharing, great information for pet transporters and pet owners.

  22. Very insightful. I downloaded this and I’m going to print it and keep it for a reference guide in my vehicle at all times. I own both dogs and cats and love animals. I have had them my whole life but still learning new thing’s about animals daily it seems like. Anything to keep them safe.

  26. I wish that every pet owner had to read this in Florida thank you so much for the information.

  27. Thanks for the info… I just ordered a portable air conditioner for my vehicle for human bathroom breaks. Thank you

  35. I agree, this was very informative. Thanks for sending it my way. I will definitely keep this in mind while I’m out on the road.

  41. Thank you for the Information!! Good to know about the different breeds and how the weather affects them. Also remember to not get complacent, very important

  44. I am always very cautious and worried about the animal being stressed and not happy love too selfies along the way and stay at pet friendly motels and always have a care parting swag gift for the pet furever family.

  45. Great information, I have air conditioning in both vans, wife will be with me driving , Animals will always be with someone in auto with air conditioning on.

  50. I have 2 dogs that travel With me and the wife We carry spare keys if we have to go inside for something we keep in the back seat With the AC on Or Heater

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