PUPPIES FEELING RUFF

Sky News

PUPPIES FEELING RUFF

Two puppies are recovering from sunstroke after being abandoned under a stairwell in the scorching weather.

Three-month-old Rosie and Rita were found with heat exhaustion under the stairs at a block of flats in Kennington, south London, and were taken to the Blue Cross animal hospital for treatment.

"They have no one to look after their pet while they're away and think that they are doing them a favour by letting them into the wild. But this is a sure way of killing the animal."

Blue Cross has erected kiddies' paddling pools for dogs to splash around in and kittens have litter trays filled with water to cool off.

The charity also advised owners to protect their animals, particularly those with little pigmentation, from sunburn and cancer by using waterproof children's sunblock or sun cream designed for pets.

Tips include:

Short-nosed dogs such as Staffordshire bull terriers, boxers and pekinese should not be exercised during the hottest part of the day between 10am and 3pm.
Elderly animals, pets which are overweight and those with respiratory problems are also at high risk from the heat.
Don't leave animals in small, confined spaces, such as cars, that are likely to get hot and cause heat stroke. Small animals such as hamsters or guinea pigs can die within just 30 minutes in a car in hot weather.
Pets should be kept in well-ventilated areas, have access to shade and plenty of water at all times and be kept out of the midday sun.

Last Updated: 12:56 UK, Thursday August 07, 2003

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