Animal welfare organisations in the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia have reported increasing numbers of calls about animals trapped in hot environments over recent years 5, 6. This can lead to decreased cardiac output, fatigue of heat dissipation mechanisms, organ failure and ultimately death 2, 3, 4. HRI is a progressive disorder of animals and man caused by core body temperatures that rise above homeostatic limits, resulting in metabolic disturbances 2. Breeding for good respiratory function and maintaining a healthy bodyweight should be considered key welfare priorities for all dogs to limit the risk of heat-related illness.Ĭlimate change is listed among the World Health Organisation’s top ten threats to Global Health in 2019, with heat-related illness (HRI) predicted to contribute towards an additional 250,000 human deaths annually by 2030 1. As we move into an ever-warmer world, veterinary professionals may need to include resistance to heat-related illness amongst their rationales when advising owners on breed selection.
Dogs with a brachycephalic skull shape and dogs weighing over 50 kg were also at greater risk. Chow Chow, Bulldog and French Bulldog), higher bodyweight relative to the breed/sex mean and being over two years of age. Multivariable analysis identified significant risk factors including breed (e.g. From the clinical records of 905,543 dogs under veterinary care in 2016, 395 confirmed heat-related illness events were identified.
The VetCompass TM programme collects de-identified electronic patient records from UK veterinary practices for research. This study aimed to report the incidence, fatality and canine risk factors of heat-related illness in UK dogs under primary veterinary care in 2016. As climate change causes global temperatures to rise, heat-related illness, a potentially fatal condition in dogs, will become an ever-greater threat.
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