Where’s the amber heat-health alert for pets?

Most of the country has been declared in drought, hosepipe bans are in place in the capital and across parts of the country, and Amber heat-health alerts are in place.

These health alerts are crucial for helping decide how to act safely during periods of extreme heat, but as someone who’s spent their career in preventative care for animals, I can’t help but think now is the time to extend the guidance to our pets, especially when Met Office scientists are now suggesting that this kind of extreme weather is the new normal.

The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) system of coloured heat-health alerts is a nationally recognised framework for understanding the danger posed by high temperatures, and the kind of actions one can take safely for their own health and welfare. It’s a clear system that can be easily communicated through official channels, the news and personal communications.

We already know how vulnerable pets can be to extreme temperatures and tragically, injury or even death is not uncommon when owners don’t carry out necessary preventative action. This raises the serious question of why animals don’t have a similar alert system to prevent the worst outcomes and inform owners how they need to act in the event of adverse weather conditions.

For the general public, ‘Amber’ means taking more care: staying hydrated and keeping your house cool; avoiding going outdoors and reducing strenuous physical activity during the hottest part of the day where possible; checking in on older or otherwise vulnerable people and being aware of the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

A warning for pets would act in the same way. Just as the UKHSA offers guidance for people, it could offer similar tips for pet owners: make sure your pet has access to fresh, cold water at all times; don’t leave your pet in the car even with the window cracked open; for dogs, avoid going for walks at the hottest part of the day and if you do decide to walk, make sure the pavement isn’t too hot. Owners should also know the symptoms of heatstroke in their pets.

At its core, this proposal is about making all pet owners aware of the extra care they need to take during a heatwave.

Obviously there are many varieties of pets, and the guidance would need to include specifics in line with this, but a joined-up approach by the UKHSA would avoid scenarios like we saw this week, where animal welfare charities were having to sound the alarm on a potentially fatal danger to cats like ‘high rise syndrome’. 

The other major part of the existing Amber alert is what it means for the health service itself. The NHS and social care have heat-response plans that they activate when the alert reaches a certain level, designed to prepare all parts of health and social care for increased demand and treatment. These ensure vulnerable people are as protected as possible, that clinical and care buildings are kept cool, and that people seeking advice can get it.

If the Amber alert is serious enough for health and social care to get guidance, why not vets too? Vets should be given help on how to brace for increased demand, how to keep their premises cool and how to disseminate relevant advice to those who need it.

I believe including pets in the UKHSA’s Heat-Health Alerts system should be just the beginning. Our company insures 300,000 pets across Europe, in countries like Germany, France and the UK where people are facing extreme temperatures.

I think in the long term, to really keep pets safe, these countries should look to adopt a system similar to Sweden's, which has some of the toughest animal welfare laws in the world. They should be specific, targeted and mandatory.

For example, in Sweden there’s a limit to how long one can leave their pet alone for. This should at the very least be adopted into law for periods of high heat. It should be made illegal to leave an animal in a car, even if there is an open window, if there is a risk of the temperature rising above 22 degrees. Cars can reach extreme temperatures, even when the weather doesn't feel that warm. When it's 22 degrees Celsius outside, cars could reach an unbearable 47 degrees within an hour. Fresh, cold water and access to outside shade should also be mandatory.

With these hotter, prolonged summers becoming the new normal, governments in Europe need to be stronger when it comes to legislating for the protection of pets, and better at informing owners of the risks to their animal companions, and the steps they need to take to avoid them. In the UK, an expanded amber alert is a good place to start.

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Hedda Båverud Olsson is the co-founder and CEO of Lassie, the world’s first preventative pet insurance company.

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