Experts warn designer dogs at risk during hot, summer days

Experts warned ‘designer dogs’ – chihuahuas, pugs, Shih tzus, bulldogs and Boston terriers – are in grave danger of dying from heat stroke on the Gold Coast.

Paradise Point vet Dr John Rigley has warned that designer dogs are at risk of dying from heat stroke during hot summer months.

EXPERTS have warned that ‘designer dogs’ are in grave danger of dying from heat stroke during summer.

The warning comes from Paradise Point vet Dr John Rigley – voted one of the city’s top 10 vets by Gold Coast Bulletin readers – and Tom Jorgensen, founder of Pet Angel Funerals.

They said breeds at risk include chihuahuas, pugs, Shih tzus, bulldogs and Boston terriers

Dr Rigley, of The Point Vet, warned it was common for dogs to suffer heatstroke during summer.

RSPCA INVESTIGATES AFTER TETHERED DOG DIES IN HEAT

“Certain dogs have been bred to have pushed-in noses and this often results in them being unable to produce oxygen, which leads to suffocation if they get heatstroke,” he said.

“It is also important to remember that dogs don’t produce sweat the same way that humans do.

“As a result, when the temperatures are high, a dog will feel the effects much faster than a person does because a dog cools down in a different way,” he said.

Mr Jorgensen said he had definitely seen a significant rise in the number of chihuahuas, pugs, Shih tzus, bulldogs and Boston terriers who had died from heat stroke.

Tom and Anne Jorgensen with dogs Fifi, a schnauzer, and Peanut, a mini-dachshund.

“We want to try and put a stop to it now,” he said.

He urged dog owners not to leave their pets in cars – even for a short time.

“We’re really concerned that pet owners, especially owners of these breeds of dogs, don’t take this issue seriously enough,” he said.

Dr Rigley said to prevent heat stroke, owners put ice cubes in their pets’ water dishes and to make sure they had plenty of shade.

He said if a dog was panting excessively, its owner should quickly switch on a fan to promote evaporative air flow and help the pet cool off.