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. 2021 Mar 25;11(1):6828.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-86235-w.

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

Emily J Hall  1 , Anne J Carter  2 , Jude Bradbury  2 , Dominic Barfield  3 , Dan G O'Neill  4
Affiliations

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

Emily J Hall et al. Sci Rep. .

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.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of decisions for event inclusion in heat-related illness (HRI) staging analysis and reporting clinical presentations of HRI in UK dogs.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The event distribution and survival outcomes for HRI grades defined using the VetCompass Clinical Grading Tool for Heat-Related Illness in dogs presenting to primary-care veterinary practices in the UK between 2016 and 2018.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The novel VetCompass clinical grading tool for heat-related illness in dogs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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