Quick Peaks: July 23, 2014

Pets may perish

Despite repeated warnings, the BC SPCA has received a record number of calls this summer to rescue pets left in hot cars.

The organization responded to 228 calls last month to rescue dogs in distress.

“It can be fatal to leave your pet in a hot car, even for 10 minutes, but still we receive hundreds of calls about animals in distress,” said SPCA spokesperson Lorie Chortyk.

In just minutes the temperature in a parked car, even in the shade with windows partly open, can climb well over 38° Celsius, she said.

“Dogs can withstand high temperatures for only a very short time—in some cases just minutes—before suffering irreparable brain damage or death,” she said.

They do not have sweat glands, so they can only cool themselves by panting and by releasing heat through their paws, she added.

She said pet owners should be alert to heatstroke symptoms, which include: exaggerated panting (or the sudden stopping of panting), rapid or erratic pulse, salivation, anxious or staring expression, weakness and muscle tremors, lack of coordination, convulsions or vomiting and collapse.

Harvesting of bivalve shellfish in Area 16 faces closures due to paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP).

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) released a statement revising closures for marine biotoxins. The closures in Area 16 relate to Jervis Inlet/Saltery Bay and Blind Bay areas.

Readers should call the local DFO office 604.485.7963 for more information or visit DFO online.