Pets being hit by heatstroke even when resting, say UK vets

A dog cools off under a stream of water. Using a hose, sprinkler or watering can to wet pets can help keep them cool, say vets. Photograph: AFP/Getty View image in fullscreen A dog cools off under a stream of water. Using a hose, sprinkler or watering can to wet pets can help keep them cool, say vets. Photograph: AFP/Getty Pets can suffer heatstroke even when resting, UK vets warn Most cases used to be seen after exertion or being left in cars, but extreme heat has widened risk Extreme temperatures are causing heatstroke in pets even when they are restricted to homes and gardens, vets have warned, as parts of the UK enter the third heatwave of the year . Temperatures have reached 40C or more in recent weeks in countries including Germany, France and Spain, with western Europe experiencing its hottest June on record. While such events have been linked to hundreds of excess deaths in people, the rising mercury is also taking its toll on animals. Experts say cases of heatstroke in pets typically used to occur when owners walked their dogs in the heat of the day or left them in a hot car, but there are now cases in animals resting at home. Dr Katharine Nelson, the director of general practice at the Royal Veterinary College, said: “We haven’t seen any heatstroke as a result of exercising dogs in the heat. So, nobody’s been walking their dogs, throwing a ball, locking them in a car – all the common ways we used to see heatstroke have not happened this time because it’s been so extreme. Everybody’s been aware and been really sensible.” View image in fullscreen A dog cools down in Krakow, Poland. Photograph: Beata Zawrzel/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock But Nelson said, even so, there had been a definite, albeit moderate, increase in cases of heatstroke during recent heatwaves “when dogs have just been allowed to wander around their own garden or they’ve had to travel somewhere so they have got stressed. We’ve seen that a lot with cats in their carriers,” she said. Dave Martin, a vet and the head of welfare at Inspiring Vet Care, said: “I think people are much more aware of the obvious risks. But what we are seeing is the ones that people haven’t perhaps thought about, and that’s catching people out.” Martin said that included dogs overheating by lying in sunny gardens and cats getting trapped in greenhouses – with the heat even affecting rabbits resting in hutches and runs, particularly if there was less shade than usual. View image in fullscreen High temperatures can pose a risk to pet rabbits. Photograph: Mint Images/Getty/Mint Images RF Inspiring Vet Care said its vets dealt with 355 incidents related to suspected heatstroke in 2025, 66% of which occurred during the summer months, with the total number of cases a 28% increase compared with 2024. “You think you’re keeping [your pet] safe, you’re doing all the obvious things, you’re following all the good advice about not putting them in the car, not walking them at midday, all of that, but still finding