Proposing the VetCompass clinical grading tool for heat-related illness in dogs

Abstract

Heat-related illness is a potentially fatal condition in dogs. Rapid and accurate recognition of the severity can improve clinical management in affected dogs and lead to better outcomes. This study explored retrospective VetCompass veterinary clinical records to investigate the clinical signs recorded for dogs presenting with heat-related illness to primary-care veterinary practice from 2016 to 2018. The relative risk of death associated with these clinical signs was reported and used to develop a novel clinical grading tool. From the clinical records of 856 heat-related illness events, the most frequently recorded clinical signs were respiratory changes (68.73%) and lethargy (47.79%). The clinical signs with the highest relative risk of death were neurological dysfunction, gastrointestinal haemorrhage and bleeding disorders. The novel VetCompass Clinical Grading Tool for Heat-Related Illness in dogs defines three grades: mild (altered respiration, lethargy), moderate (gastrointestinal signs, a single seizure, episodic collapse) and severe (neurological dysfunction, gastrointestinal haemorrhage, bleeding disorders). This novel grading tool offers a simple, evidence-based device to improve recognition of heat-related illness in dogs and promote improved decision-making for earlier interventions such as cooling and hospitalisation. This could improve outcomes and protect the welfare of dogs in the face of rising global temperatures.

Surveillance of heat-related illness in small animals presenting to veterinary practices in the UK between 2013-2018.

“…Mirroring the findings of a previous UK canine HRI study ( Hall et al, 2021 ), abnormal breathing and lethargy were the most frequently reported clinical signs from HRI cases for all species. All of the guinea pigs, and all but one of the dogs that died as a result of HRI presented with neurological dysfunction (ataxia, seizures, obtunded status, or coma), reflecting previous findings that neurological damage is associated with more severe HRI ( Bruchim et al, 2009 ) and increased risk of death ( Hall et al, 2021 ). None of the cats presented had collapse or obtunded mentation recorded in their clinical notes, and none of the electronic consultation records reported death as an outcome (however this could have occurred after the consultation).…”

“…The canine patients were retrospectively graded using the recently proposed VetCompass Clinical Grading Tool ( Hall et al, 2021 ). The distribution of cases by clinical HRI grade closely reflects those reported by Hall et al (2021) , with more moderate HRI cases than mild, and around 14% severe HRI cases.…”

“…The canine patients were retrospectively graded using the recently proposed VetCompass Clinical Grading Tool ( Hall et al, 2021 ). The distribution of cases by clinical HRI grade closely reflects those reported by Hall et al (2021) , with more moderate HRI cases than mild, and around 14% severe HRI cases. All bar one of the cases with a fatal outcome reported were graded severe, lending further support to the use of this clinical grading tool for assisting the recognition and management of HRI in dogs.…”

“…Where animals presented for a follow up appointment, if the narrative included historical signs from the event these were included, but not clinical signs present at the time of the follow up appointment. The presenting clinical signs were used to retrospectively apply the VetCompass Clinical Grading Tool for HRI in dogs ( Hall et al, 2021 ), in order to grade the severity of HRI present in the canine patients in the study population.…”

Exploring Owner Perceptions of the Impacts of Seasonal Weather Variations on Canine Activity and Potential Consequences for Human–Canine Relationships

“…The results from the present study add further evidence to sports-dog owners having increased motivation to exercise, even in poor weather, and suggest that sports-dog owners may be more aware of the potential risk associated with canine activity—notably HRI—and have better awareness of the mitigation actions that can be employed to maintain activity in hot weather. As early cooling has been found to improve survival in dogs affected by HRI [ 52 ], improving owners’ ability to recognize early signs of HRI and dispelling myths associated with effective cooling methods (notably outdated concerns relating to the use of cold water) should be considered educational priorities for dog owners in the face of rising global temperatures [ 53 ].…”