Dog owners know to exercise caution in soaring temperatures to keep their pets safe, and now nine dog breeds at greater risk of suffering heatstroke in the heatwave have been revealed by experts.
Vets and the RSPCA have both issued warnings to pet owners urging them to refrain walking dogs in the heat — one pet owner told how her dog died from heatstroke after a short walk in the sun.
Dogs can find it tough in the hot weather, with a greater risk of heart failure, and serious injury, or even death.
Read more: Met Office forecasts thunderstorms for Wales and issues yellow weather warning
Purebred dogs have twice the risk of crossbreeds, Birmingham Live reports, and according to experts the nine dog breeds most at risk are varied.
Chow chow dogs lead the way, with a 17 times greater risk, followed by the bulldog at 14 times more likely to suffer heatstroke.
French bullog and French mastiffs complete the top five with greyhounds, followed by King Charles spaniels, pugs, English springer spaniels, and then golden retrievers.
This is the full list
- Chow chow
- Bulldog
- French bulldog
- French mastiff
- Greyhounds
- King Charles spaniel
- Pug
- English springer spaniel
- Golden retriever
Emergency animal care provider Vets Now also warned rising temperatures could increase the risk of heat stroke in dogs.
The vet service sees a spike in callouts as the weather warms up and has warned that temperatures above 20C put dogs at risk, and that survival rates for dogs with heat stroke is just 50%.
The warnings come after a week of flash flooding in the south east of England, causing disruption to transport in London.
One devastated pet owner spoke out this week saying her French bulldog had tragically died after a brief walk - despite showing no signs of illness after the walk was completed.
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