"Is It Too Hot For Spot" Window Cling

While the company itself has since gone out of business since this was first published. Here is a link to similar thermometer window cling.

 

Every once in a while a product comes along and you think, ‘WOW, what a great idea”. Is It Too Hot For Spot?™ is a static cling window thermometer that gives real time information regarding the interior temperature of a vehicle. I love that it will also tell me when it is too cold for Spot. An issue for us Northerners.

 

Denice Pruett, inventor and owner of Is It Too Hot For Spot™says, “I live in the desert southwest of New Mexico and work for my local veterinarian. I was constantly amazed to hear stories of pets left in vehicles and succumbing to hyperthermia/heatstroke. One day, I had an epiphany! What if there was a device that could raise awareness of this issue. Thus the research began. Please join me in my mission to keep all of our pets happy, healthy and safe.”

 

A very preventable cause of death of pets is heatstroke and it’s cousin, hypothermia. It can occur when owners leave their pets in the car “for a few minutes”,  while they work, visit, shop or run errands. Those “few minutes” can become much longer when you are distracted. However, both hot and cold outdoor temperatures can turn a car into a deathtrap. 

 

HEATSTROKE

 

San Francisco State University, Louisiana Medical Society, Stanford University and the Animal Protection Institute have all done separate studies and reached the same conclusion. It doesn’t matter if the windows are open. It doesn’t matter what the color of the car is. It doesn’t matter if you park in the shade. In temperatures as low as 72℉, the inside temperature of the car will rise 19℉ in 10 minutes. In 20 minutes it will rise 29℉ and so on. In as little as 15 minutes, the car can become deadly. In direct sunlight, the vehicle could warm even faster.

 

What are the principals behind vehicle warming?

 

The atmosphere and the windows are transparent to the suns’ shortwave radiation. This is why it doesn’t matter if the windows are opened or closed. This shortwave radiation heats solid objects such as dashboards and seats. These objects heat the adjacent air by conduction and convection. The objects give off long-wave radiation which warms the trapped air in the vehicle. 

 

Leaving the air conditioner on while your pets are waiting for you is not a good idea either. For one, it is a mechanical device and mechanical devices are subject to breakdown. Instead of cooling the vehicle, it may warm it instead. Furthermore, in your pets’ excitement, they may be all over your car. They could inadvertently shut it off.

 

Heatstroke begins when your pets’ temperature surpasses 104℉. This happens when the temperature in their environment (car) becomes higher than their body temperature with little or no air circulation (car), high humidity (heavy panting), and close quarters (car). Signs include lethargy, heavy breathing and panting, bright red gums and tongue, vomiting and diarrhea.

 

Heatstroke can cause shock, respiratory distress, kidney failure, heart abnormalities among other complications. Damage can become irreversible once their body temperature reaches 106℉. Death follows.

 

What can you do if heatstroke occurs?

 

1. Remove the pet from the hot environment.
2. Turn on the air conditioner if possible.
3. Lower their body temperature by wetting with cool water.
4. Do not use cold water or ice. It is counterproductive. It will shock the system and cause a thermal barrier. The pet will be unable to cool itself.
5. Contact a veterinarian for instructions.
6. Transport to veterinarian as soon as possible.

 

While it is not on most of our minds right now............

 

HYPOTHERMIA

 

It is a misconception that just because your pet has fur, they are protected against cold temperatures. The typical temperature of a refrigerator is between 42 and 48℉. The typical temperature of a freezer is 0℉. A vehicle retains the cold and can quickly go from being as cold a refrigerator to as cold as a freezer. Unprotected skin will begin to freeze at 30℉. Unprotected skin includes short-haired dogs or pets without outerwear or coverings.

 

Hypothermia occurs when a pets’ core temperature drops 4℉ from normal. It affects the cardiovascular, respiratory and immune systems causing irregular heartbeats, respiratory distress, impaired consciousness and low blood pressure.

 

Signs include shivering, lethargy, shallow breathing and bluish gums.

 

What can you do if hypothermia occurs?

 

1. Remove the pet from the cold.
2. All rewarming needs to be done slowly and with veterinarian intervention. Rewarming instructions can vary depending on the severity.

 

There are three types of rewarming and a veterinarian makes the determination.

 

1. Passive External - The pet warms up on their own.
2. Active External - This includes warm water baths, hot water bottles, blankets, heating pads, etc.
3. Active Internal - This is very complex and carried out by veterinarians only.

 

Do not assume a “dead” hypothermic pet cannot be resuscitated. A pet has only died after it’s warm.

 

What I love about this product.

 

1. It gives you the information needed to make intelligent decisions regarding your pets and cars. Both heatstroke and hypothermia are preventable.
2. It raises awareness. Everywhere I parked my car, people stopped and asked questions about it.
3. The large, colorful lettering is easy to read, even at a short distance. This is a great addition to grooming shops, especially hung near drying cages.

 

I am a mobile groomer and I product tested this during a heat wave. It allowed me to make the determination on whether I could work in my van without even opening the doors. I knew that in the battle between my air conditioner and the heated dryers, who was going to win.I believe this product should be in every car as well as in every pet care facility. Awesome job Denice, what a great idea.

 

 

 

Comments

[elisa test]

Very helpful tip, I have a lhasa and I always give her water to prevent heatstroke.

[michaelaford]

thanks for this very informative information.. very helpful.