References
Canine heat-related illness – new perspectives from recent research
Abstract
Heat-related illness (or heatstroke) is a potentially fatal condition in dogs that can be triggered by hot environments or physical activity. Awareness by dog owners and veterinary professionals of the key risk factors and triggers for heat-related illness can promote mitigation strategies to reduce the incidence and severity of the condition. Owners should seek veterinary treatment if their dog develops heat-related illness, but should always ‘cool first, transport second’ before travelling to their vet clinic. Recommended active cooling methods include immersing the animal in water or pouring water over the animal and ensuring air movement, for example using a fan or air conditioning. This article summarises recent research exploring the epidemiology of heat-related illness in UK dogs and aims to debunk common myths related to canine cooling.
Heat-related illness (commonly known as heatstroke) is a potentially fatal condition occurring when an animal's body temperature exceeds their ability to thermoregulate (Bouchama and Knochel, 2002; Johnson et al, 2006). With rising global temperatures and increased popularity of some predisposed breeds, improved awareness of how to recognise, prevent and treat heat-related illness is critical to protect canine welfare and save lives.
There are two main triggers of heat-related illness in dogs: environmental heat-related illness triggered by exposure to hot environments (for example, a hot vehicle, building or ambient environmental conditions) and exertional heat-related illness triggered by physical activity typically in (but not limited to) hot conditions (Bouchama and Knochel, 2002; Johnson et al, 2006; Hemmelgarn and Gannon, 2013). In the UK, exertional heat-related illness accounted for 74.2% of heat-related illness events presenting to primary care veterinary practices during 2016 (Hall et al, 2020a), supporting a new national campaign Dogs Die on Hot Walks. While most UK exertional heat-related illness events occur following relatively low-intensity exercise during spring and summer, heat-related illness has been reported year-round (Hall et al, 2020a). Wet bulb globe temperature measures ambient conditions, accounting for air temperature, radiant heat, humidity and windspeed to provide a holistic assessment of environmental thermal stress, which all impact the rate at which dogs cool (Hemmelgarn and Gannon, 2013). The average wet bulb globe temperature reported for exertional heat-related illness events in pet dogs in the UK was 16.5°C (Hall et al, 2022).
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