Short-nosed dogs feel the heat
January 27th, 2008 Posted in Pets Guide You thought penguins were in gravest danger of extinction from
global warming.
Now bulldogs, boxers, Pekinese, pugs and French mastiffs are
among the breeds of dogs that may not see out many more Australian
summers, experts say.
Rising temperatures could also cast aside Persian cats in favour
of fuller-faced felines.
Citing Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, RSPCA chief
veterinarian Chris Thurgood said forecasts of frequent 40 degree
days would gradually deplete local stocks of short-nosed dogs and
cats, which typically suffer from respiratory problems and heat
stress.
“Darwin’s theory will take care of them,” he said. “They won’t
be around in the future; they won’t last.”
The director of Melbourne University’s veterinary teaching
hospital, Mark Davis, said dog owners should act responsibly by
opting for long-nosed or long-tongued breeds such as greyhounds or
golden retrievers. Dogs cool themselves by panting, which makes
summer more difficult for breeds like bulldogs and pugs, which
typically have squashed airways.
“It will be more sensible to not have those breeds as a pet
because as it gets hotter they are going to struggle more,” he
said.
“What we want are healthy dogs, but if you chose one of those
breeds you will have to see the vet more often.”
Boxer Association of Victoria president Lionel Bleakley owns 14
boxers and three French mastiffs, which are also counted among the
Brachycephalic dog breeds, with shortened or squashed faces.
“My dogs have been lying quite comfortably on the concrete,” Mr
Bleakley said.
“Dogs adapt and people adapt to how to raise dogs correctly,
such as not walking their dogs on a hot day.”
Australian breeders have created a version of the British
bulldog, which has a longer nose and a more athletic frame.
The Bureau of Meteorology is seeking funding for a national
early warning system for heatwaves that will alert residents in
most capital cities when conditions reach a dangerous tipping
point. It will operate similarly to the ultraviolet index or
cyclone warnings.
On days when extreme heat or humidity is forecast, public
warnings will be placed in newspapers and on radio. Aged-care
centres will be advised to keep residents indoors and in
air-conditioned rooms, while people will be urged to regularly
check on elderly neighbours.
Emergency services could open designated “cool rooms” in public
buildings to offer respite to people suffering in the heat.
Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research director
Chris Mitchell said that, decade-on-decade, Australians would have
to adapt to more frequent heatwaves, placing great strain on the
health of the elderly and animals. Food sources, power supplies and
sporting contests would also be sorely tested in the heat.
To anyone who struggled to sleep in the warm, humid nights last
week, such dire forecasts might sound too tough to bear. But then,
as Darwin might have said, if you don’t adapt you die.
Persians face tough future
News that flat-faced feline varieties such as the Persian have
trouble breathing, particularly in hot weather, is well known to
Armidale breeder Angela Stephens.
It’s one of the reasons she prefers the “traditional” type of
Persian cats over their more modern snubby-faced cousins.
“Because nasal passages of the flat-faced Persians are skewered,
they find it harder to breathe and their eyes water,” she said.
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Tags: animals, ash, cats, dog owners, dogs, extinction, hot day, loc, Pet, rspca, sleep, spca, tradition, vet, veterinarian
