18 Jun 2025
Vet and welfare groups encouraging owners to take extra care – as research shows nearly twice as many dogs being treated for hot vehicle-causing heat stroke.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image: Chalabala / Adobe Stock
New research has suggested vets are treating nearly twice as many dogs for heatstroke caused by hot vehicles than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The findings are at the heart of a new campaign by veterinary and welfare groups to encourage pet owners to take extra care of their animals when the mercury rises.
Data from the RVC-led VetCompass programme showed hot vehicles were the cause of 6.3% of canine heatstroke cases between 2016 and 2018.
However, that proportion soared to 11.2% during 2022 and 2023, a trend the college’s lead heatstroke researcher, Emily Hall, described as “deeply concerning”.
She said: “Being left in warm vehicles can be a death trap for dogs. The longer we allow our dogs to remain hot, the more damage occurs and increasing the risk of heatstroke fatalities.
“Our research shows that many dogs die in hot cars and on hot walks each year, so owners must avoid known triggers to heat-related illness – especially during heatwaves.
“The message is simple: if in doubt, don’t go out. And despite this, if there is any concern that a dog has developed heatstroke, our advice is to cool first, using available water, then transport to veterinary care: wet, then vet.”
Although the problem was initially highlighted as the UK experienced record high temperatures at the start of May, the analysis also showed dogs can be at risk over several months of the year.
Data from 426 heat-related illness cases treated at Vets Now practices during 2023, which was presented in a clinical abstract at the BSAVA Congress in Manchester, showed only 10% occurred in July, which has traditionally been the most common time for cases to be presented.
In contrast, more than one-third of cases (34.51%) were recorded in June, with nearly one-quarter (22.3%) in September – both coinciding with heatwaves. More than one in five of the affected dogs (21.6%) died.
More than half of the cases (53.29%) also involved brachycephalic dogs, while dogs that were younger than two years were found to be at higher risk than those aged eight years or older.
Researchers believe the latter trend may be linked to the “pandemic puppy” generation – particularly the rise of inexperienced pet owners.
The RSPCA, which is among the groups supporting the new campaign, is running a series of online “Cool Dog Summer” workshops, which it hopes will help to raise public awareness of the issue.
But, while data for 2024 is not yet available, dog welfare expert Lauren Bennett warned the trend of both vets and police seeing more cases “can’t continue”.
She said: “If more of us can start taking a few steps now to reduce the risk to our pets, hopefully fewer dogs will suffer.”
The National Police Chiefs’ Council is among the organisations which are part of the new campaign coalition, along with the BVA.
