6 Aug 2020
More than two-thirds of all heatstroke events are triggered by exercise with breeds such as the chow chow, French bulldog and cavalier King Charles spaniel most at risk.
James Westgate
Job Title
Image © Anne Carter.
The most common cause of potentially fatal heatstroke in dogs is being exercised by their owners, the largest study of its kind has found.
A team at Nottingham Trent University and the RVC found that exertion or exercise – which could include dogs walking, playing or running with their owners – was responsible for three-quarters (74%) of heatstroke cases. Many of these cases were in the summer months.
Hot weather alone was responsible for 13% of cases, while travelling or being left in hot vehicles accounted for 5% of cases.
Other triggers for heatstroke included undergoing treatment at a veterinary surgery or a dog grooming parlour, being restricted to hot buildings or trapped under blankets.
The researchers in dog welfare analysed the anonymised clinical records of more than 900,000 UK dogs, finding 1,222 had received veterinary care for heatstroke at some point during their lives, with almost 400 affected in a single year.
Heatstroke is a potentially fatal condition and is expected to become even more common as global temperatures rise. In the study, 14.2% of affected dogs died as a result of their heatstroke event.
The team, writing in the journal Animals, found male dogs and younger dogs were more likely to develop heatstroke triggered by exercise, with breeds at increased risk including:
Older dogs, and flat-faced dogs such as bulldogs and pugs, were at increased risk of getting heatstroke just by sitting outside in hot weather, while flat-faced dogs were particularly at risk of developing heatstroke if left in hot cars.
Key findings were:
