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. 2022 Sep 8;12(18):2347.
doi: 10.3390/ani12182347.

Clinical Evaluation of Exercise-Induced Physiological Changes in Military Working Dogs (MWDs) Resulting from the Use or Non-Use of Cooling Vests during Training in Moderately Hot Environments

Mila Benito  1 , Diego Lozano  2 , Francisco Miró  3
Affiliations

Clinical Evaluation of Exercise-Induced Physiological Changes in Military Working Dogs (MWDs) Resulting from the Use or Non-Use of Cooling Vests during Training in Moderately Hot Environments

Mila Benito et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Nose work with military working dogs (MWDs) in warmer-than-usual areas has led us to look for new tools to reduce both heat stress and the risk of heat stroke. One of the different strategies to manage heat stress is the use of cooling vests, such as those used in humans. The aim was to assess three cooling conditions (using two different cooling vests during exercise and the non-use of such garments) by measuring core body temperature, systemic blood pressure and pulse rate before and after the exercise (moment: four measurement times) in military dogs of the I Military Police Battalion (in Valencia, Spain). All dogs were evaluated under all three conditions during the three days of the study. Significant differences were observed between condition, moment, and the interaction of these two factors, in relation to core body temperature and pulse rate. Therefore, the use of an evaporative cooling vest may further be useful as a routine thermal control and conditioning measure in MWDs.

Keywords: canine sports medicine; cooling vests; military working dogs (MWDs).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Image of one of the days of the clinical study. The circuit used in this clinical study was the one these dogs usually performed, on land, with a total duration of 20 min and at an average speed of 10 km/h, reaching 3.43 km.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Non-invasive systemic blood pressure measurement in dogs immediately after exercise (a) with PCM-Cooling vest (by contact with cold tablets) and (b) evaporation cooling vest.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Close-up of cooling vest (PCM-CV) with cooling pads. (b) An MWD wearing a PCM-CV. They require prior cooling (or freezing) of the pads.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Detail of the outside (a) and inside (b) of the evaporative cooling vest Swamp CoolerTM used in this clinical study. It consists of three layers to absorb water and facilitate evaporation. Requires wetting with clean water before use.
Figure 5
Figure 5
This map shows the maximum temperatures on one of the three days of the clinical study (the arrow indicates the province of Valencia (Spain), where this clinical study was carried out) (Source: Spanish Meteorology Agency AEMET).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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