IT’S not just humans who are struggling to cope with the heatwave that has hit Ballarat, animals are struggling too.
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The RSPCA animal shelter has warned pet owners to take extra care of their animals today and in the hot weather to come.
Ballarat shelter acting supervisor Hayley Aisbett said that if pets weren’t looked after, some of them might not make it.
“It’s always really dangerous this time of year, generally each year we have reports of guinea pigs and rabbits dying from the heat,” she said. “The hot weather can kill them quite quickly, and the smaller the animal the more dangerous it is because they can’t take in and store as much water as humans.”
Apart from being inundated with animals handed in following the New Year’s Eve fireworks, pet owners are also bringing their pets in with heat related illnesses.
“We have to monitor animals and make sure they get enough fluids,” Ms Aisbett said.
“We get a lot of calls about people leaving animals in parked cars which is a real problem.”
The RSPCA urged pet owners to never leave an animal in a hot car as it can take just six minutes for a dog to die in a hot car.
