If your dog eagerly bolts toward the garage door when he senses that you are about to go for a ride in your car, it can be difficult to inform him that he cannot tag along. Many dogs enjoy car treks with their owners, and it provides an opportunity to bask in the bond of companionship that they share. Vehicles can be dangerous on the road, which is why you take precautions to keep you and your family members safe. By keeping the following things in mind, you can make efforts to keep your dog safer on these excursions as well.
Take Out the Trash
If you intend to invite your furry friend along for rides, get into the habit of keeping the interior of your car at least as tidy as your home. In today's active lifestyles that have people eating in their cars and keeping young children occupied during transport, vehicles have become trash receptacles. The term garbage gut applies to dogs that have a propensity for consuming anything they find, including trash. The following items that are typically found on car floors can pose serious health problems:
- Apple cores, food wrappers, and tea bags are examples of garbage that can result in gastrointestinal issues and foreign body obstruction.
- Stray grapes, raisins, chocolate candy, and nuts can all result in toxicity.
- Small toys, balls, and fishhooks result in foreign body obstruction or perforation of the esophagus, stomach or bowel.
Before your dog enters your vehicle, perform a quick sweep of your car's seats and floor to remove anything that is not part of your car.
Check for Tails
Whether you quickly ducked into the pizza shop for the takeout pie or are picking the kids up from school or activities, everyone needs to be alert for two things when it comes to car doors when entering the vehicle in which the dog is already situated. When a door is opened, block your dog from darting out. When the door is closed, look for wagging tails or eager paws that may be in the door's path. A door that shuts on your dog's tail or limbs can result in broken bones.
Buckle Up
Humans are not the only ones that should fasten their seatbelts to reduce risks for injuries from a collision. Keep your dog secured within your vehicle, preferably on the back seat. Children in the front seat are at risk for injuries from a deployed air bag, and dogs are as well. Choices of restraint methods include the following:
- Purchase a pet seatbelt from a pet supply retailer. Be sure to choose the appropriate size for your dog.
- Contain your dog in a crate that is only large enough for him to lie down comfortably, stand up, and turn around.
Small loose dogs scampering freely in your car can pose a serious risk to you and everyone else in your vehicle, including the dogs. If your dog finds his way underneath your gas or brake pedals, he could get crushed if you need to accelerate or brake suddenly, and you will not be able to depress the pedal all the way, which could result in an accident. Any dog that is loose in your car can be sent hurtling through the cabin and into a window upon impact during an accident, which can have deadly consequences. An added bonus of keeping your dog secured is that he won't be able to start chewing on seatbelts, car seats, and floor mats.
Roll Them Up
Windows pose multiple hazards to your dog. Always keep the window control buttons locked so that your dog doesn't stand on the button and open the window himself. An open window can result in escape, especially if he spies a squirrel or another dog that he wants to pursue. Allowing your dog to ride in a car with his head outside of the open window exposes him to wind, which is laden with dirt and debris that can result in eye inflammation, corneal scratches, and ear infections.
Hot Dog Danger
Think before you drive anywhere with your dog in the car during the warm months. Do not bring him along if you intend to make any stops along the way that would require you to leave him in the car for any length of time. According to the Humane Society of the United States, the interior temperature of a car can exceed 100 degrees in just 10 minutes on an 85-degree day. In half an hour, that interior car temperature soars to 120 degrees. A dog who has been left in that car will contract heatstroke and die.
A cracked window will not provide enough of a breeze to keep the temperature down, and leaving your car running idle with the air conditioning on can result in other problems. For one thing, your door is not locked, which means that he is at risk for being stolen. Secondly, if he sees something that excites him, he could depress the lock button and lock you out of your car.
By keeping these tips in mind, you can enjoy your dog's companionship as you drive around town or head for the park while keeping him as safe as possible. For more car safety tips, talk to your veterinarian.
