Cattle can get sunstroke too say Erne Veterinary Group
POLICE have joined vets in warning dog owners of the danger of leaving their pets in locked cars in the current extreme heatwave.
A PSNI spokesman told the Herald that officers responded to reports from the public concerned that they have seen dogs locked in parked vehicles without adequate ventilation or water.
“We would urge pet owners to consider the issues of adequate ventilation and water when leaving dogs in parked vehicles.
“While police will use discretion when responding to such an incident and assess the individual circumstances, there is an obvious risk that a vehicle could be damaged in the process of releasing an animal.”
A spokesman for the Erne Veterinary Group said the same advice applied to large animals also.
“Cattle can get sunstroke too’, he explained, “especially the ‘white’ breeds, Herefords and Friesians, both dairy and beef, and horses too, piebalds for instance.”
He was called out by one farmer at the week-end to attend to a bullock which he suspected was suffering from sunstroke.
“It was dull and depressed and had a high temperature. I prescribed medication and recommended that it be kept in for a few days.”
Speaking generally, he advised farmers against too much exposure of dairy cows to the sun whilst ‘strip grazing’ in an open field.
“They are obviously at risk in that they’re not used to this kind of weather. At the end of the day it’s basic commonsense – fresh water or access to water, in the case of dogs in cars, keep the windows open and, remember that dogs and cats can get sore footpads, just like me or you walking about in our bare feet on a baking surface.”
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