Dogs left in vehicles in warm weather can suffer fatal heatstroke within minutes, and owner education remains the primary prevention strategy for this entirely avoidable welfare emergency.
Heatstroke in dogs causes rapid neurological deterioration, multiple organ failure and death. Dogs in vehicles in direct sun experience acute suffering from rising body temperature, panting, collapse and convulsions. Survival depends on rapid cooling. The suffering of dogs left in hot cars is extreme and preventable; the behaviour continues because owners consistently underestimate how quickly temperatures rise.