Hospital issues warning not to leave dogs in cars

A Shropshire hospital is reminding dog owners to avoid bringing their pets to the hospital and leaving them in their cars.

The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital said there had been recent incidents of patients and visitors leaving dogs in their cars whilst they either attended an appointment or visited patients.

A dog can only withstand a high body temperature for only a short time before suffering and can die from heatstroke in as little as 20 minutes, the Oswestry-based hospital said.

If the hospital trust received further reports of dogs left in cars, they will be reported to the police and the RSPCA who will take action, a hospital spokesperson said.

"In warm, sunny weather cars become ovens and even if it's cloudy, the temperature inside a car can become dangerously hot for a dog," the trust said.

"If a dog left in a car is panting for breath, it may be starting to suffer from heatstroke. This could kill the dog very quickly.

"Leaving the car windows open or putting a bowl of water inside does not help", they added.

Amber heat-health alerts have been issued by the UK Health Security Agency for the Midlands, eastern and southern England from 09:00 BST on Wednesday to 21:00 BST on 12 July, as temperatures are once again expected to top 30C (86F).

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