The excessive heat may have already caused the death of a dog.
On Saturday, animal control officials said the heat might be responsible for
the death of a family's dog
in Garner.
Scott Allen, a spokesman for the Wake County Animal Control, said the dog's death appeared to be heat-related.
He also said the dog's owners would be charged with animal cruelty. He added that animal control plans to perform an autopsy to determine the exact cause of the dog's death. The dog's owners would not talk about what happened.
"Animals aren't that different from people when it comes to heat. If it's too hot for humans, it's also too hot for animals," Allen said.
Investigators in Bessemer City, N.C., earlier believed that heat might have played a role in the
death of an 8-year-old boy
in Gaston County.
Matthew Surcy collapsed during football practice in Bessemer City on Friday, investigators said. Officials said the child had no known medical problems and was not hit by another player before collapsing. The high temperature in the area was 93 degrees.
The grandmother of the eight-year-old said Sunday that the boy may have suffered from an undiagnosed heart problem.
Shirley Neice said doctors believe a bacterial or viral heart infection caused her grandson to collapse. The family will wait for an autopsy to determine an official cause of death, she said.
Neice said doctors ruled out any heat- or football-related cause of death.
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