Dog owners using outdated heatstroke first aid, study finds
“Acting early to cool dogs as soon as mild signs of overheating are observed will save lives” – Dan O'Neill.
A new study into the first aid received by dogs suffering from heat-related illness (HRI) before they are brought to a veterinary practice has found that only a small minority of owners are following the most up-to-date guidance.
Researchers found that the outdated cooling technique of applying wet towels had been used on more than half of dogs (51.3 per cent) that had been actively cooled by their owners before being transported to a veterinary practice.
Only 24 per cent had been cooled using the recommended methods of cold water immersion or soaking combined with air movement from a breeze, fan, or air conditioning system.
A large majority of owners did nothing to actively cool their dog before transporting them, with only 21.7 per cent of dogs being actively cooled before they received veterinary treatment.
The study, involving researchers from the Royal Veterinary College, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and Vets Now, used data from VetCompass to look at a total of 856 dogs which were presented for veterinary treatment of HRI in the UK between 2016 and 2018.
In response to the findings, the researchers are urging owners to follow the 2016 Vet-COT recommendation ‘cool first, transport second’ and asking the veterinary profession to help spread awareness of the most effective active cooling techniques.
Anne Carter, senior lecturer at SRUC, and co-author of the paper, said: “It takes time to put research into practice, and this can be harder when you’re faced with long-standing myths. We urge veterinary professionals, dog owners and any sources of first aid advice to review the recommendations on cooling methods, dispel the myths and promote the message to ‘cool first, transport second’.”
Dan O’Neill, associate professor at the RVC, and co-author of the paper, added: “Our previous research showed that 97 per cent of dogs treated for mild heat-related illness survived while only 43 per cent of dogs treated for severe heat-related illness (heatstroke) survived. The data are very clear; acting early to cool dogs as soon as mild signs of overheating are observed will save lives.”
The study, ‘Cooling Methods Used to Manage Heat-Related Illness in Dogs Presented to Primary Care Veterinary Practices during 2016–2018 in the UK’, has been published in the journal Veterinary Sciences.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
