Detection Dogs Working in Hot Climates: The Influence on Thermoregulation and Fecal Consistency.

ABSTRACT: Body temperature is an important physiological parameter that influences the performance of working dogs. The main cooling mechanism in dogs is panting to support evaporative cooling, which reduces the dog's ability to detect scents. In this study, we investigated the general body condition of four detection dogs searching for cheetah scats in a hot environment in northern Kenya. We evaluated the effect on the dog's body temperature post-work in the short term (within hours) and long term (12-24 h). The fecal consistency and mean body temperature of the investigated dogs differed significantly between individuals but not between locations (moderate Nairobi and hot Samburu). On the morning after fieldwork, the dogs showed a significantly increased body temperature (37.9 ± 0.8 °C) compared t

SUBMITTER: Slotta-Bachmayr L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11393967 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature