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

SIMPLE SUMMARY: A cooling vest is a clothing article especially designed to reduce body temperature and make exposure to heat in hot climates or environments more bearable. Such cooling vests can be of significant help to military working dogs (MWDs) in high-temperature regions. Dogs performing scent-detection tasks could benefit from the use of a cooling vest, if proven useful, by reducing the risk of heat stroke and olfactory fatigue. As different models of cooling vests are available for dogs, our aim was to compare wearing nothing versus two different models of cooling vests in a homogenous dog population during physical exercise (moderate-intensity running). We observed that the evaporative cooling waistcoat performed best. In conclusion, the waistcoats improve the cooling of the dogs during and after exercise, and differences between the two garment models exist. 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.