June 2, 2021
by
The Animal Health Foundation
Each year, pet parents are reminded about heat-related illnesses – also known as heatstroke. Is your dog one of the breeds at higher risk?
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- With heat waves on the rise, researchers at England’s Nottingham Trent University explored risks factors in dogs that increase the incidence of heat-related illness (HRI), or heatstroke
- Nine breeds had a higher risk of heatstroke, including the chow chow, bulldog, French bulldog, dogue de Bordeaux, greyhound, cavalier King Charles spaniel, pug, English springer spaniel and golden retriever
- Five of the nine breeds with increased HRI risk were brachycephalic, or flat-faced, breeds
- Dogs that were overweight or weigh over 50 kilograms (110 pounds) had a higher risk of heatstroke in the study, as did dogs over the age of 2, although dogs 12 years or older had the greatest risk
- Purebred dogs were also more likely to have heatstroke than crossbred dogs, or mutts, likely because they’re more likely to have exaggerated features, including thicker coats and extreme body size and skull shapes
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