25 Mar 2021
Largest UK study into canine heatstroke highlights the live-saving importance of owners being educated to spot the early signs.
James Westgate
Job Title
Image © Reddogs / Adobe Stock
More than half of dogs that are taken to veterinary practices with severe heatstroke go on to die from the condition, a new study has found.
Veterinary researchers at Nottingham Trent University and the RVC found the risks to dogs are much lower, however, if these cases are detected and managed earlier.
The researchers examined anonymised clinical records of more than 900,000 UK dogs as part of the ”VetCompass” study.
They found that respiratory changes and lethargy were the two most common early signs of heatstroke. A total of 856 heat-related incidents were identified in the study that required veterinary care during a two-year period, making this the largest study on heatstroke ever carried out in the UK.
The researchers found that 111 (14%) of these heatstroke cases were categorised as severe, with these dogs showing a range of serious clinical signs such as seizures, vomiting and loss of consciousness. Of these severe cases, 63 (57%) went on to die of the condition.
Once dogs lost consciousness at that severe stage, they were 37 times more likely to die, the researchers found.
Dogs with the early and milder forms of heatstroke generally showed respiratory changes (seen in 69% of mild cases), such as laboured breathing, and lethargy (seen in 48% of mild cases) where dogs displayed tiredness or changes in behaviour such as not wanting to exercise.
Almost all dogs that presented for veterinary care with these early signs survived (98%).
The work, which is published in the journal Scientific Reports, has also led to the development of a new grading tool that enables vets to reliably categorise heatstroke cases into mild, moderate or severe grades.
Lead researcher Emily Hall – a veterinary surgeon at Nottingham Trent University’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences – said: “If the dog is not quickly cooled or treated by a veterinary surgeon, its condition can rapidly worsen. Once dogs get to that severe stage, it’s really a coin toss as to whether they will survive.
“We hope the grading tool will be useful for veterinary surgeons as there has never been a clear definition for dogs such as this.”
Dan O’Neill, co-author and senior lecturer in companion animal epidemiology at the RVC, said: “This new information on heatstroke signs and the novel VetCompass grading tool empowers owners to understand and take back control of heat-related illness in their dogs.
”This is especially important for flat-faced breeds such as English and French bulldogs and pugs that are at extra risk.”
Dogs Trust provided a grant for the project and veterinary director, Paula Boyden, described the findings as “truly worrying”.
She added: “We hope that with the research showing the risks to dogs are much lower if heatstroke is detected and managed early, raising awareness and knowledge of the early warning signs among owners, and encouraging prompt attention, will help avoid the heart-breaking situation of their dog becoming severely ill or dying as a result.”
