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Voluntary Head Dunking to Control Exercise Induced Hyperthermia

3K views 32 replies 13 participants last post by  Happy Gilmore  
#1 ·
#3 ·
Voluntary?
What's that about?
Only works if the dog wants to dunk it's head by it's own volition?
Seems somewhat odd that folks need a study to confirm what most should know and that is that dogs expel heat thru their mouths, ears,
...in other words their heads.
Cold water over the head would therefore expedite this process when the dog is hot.
Of course the best way is to A. not let your dog get dangerously over heated and B. Keep your dog lean and in good condition when working to a point one may be in danger of heating up.
Most folks can't recognize the threshold of point A.
Most labs are terribly lacking in point B.
 
#4 ·
When I have the time I will post some specifics from the clinical trial which compared head dunking with 3 other forms of cooling including a version of what I have done many times in the past, ice packs to the head and groin. Voluntary head dunking is a tactic that is taught and it’s performance in reducing hyperthermia was dramatically better that what I have done and what you propose. Since your signature includes a flag of Canada I will rightfully claim significantly greater experience dealing with hyperthermia in retrievers in Texas for more than 50 years than you have had in Canada. 😊
 
#7 ·
I've seen more issues when cooling was necessary in Washington and Oregon than any of my time spent in Georgia and the desert. It's usually freezing all winter season in Texas anyways.
 
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#6 ·
Saw this awhile ago and started training my dogs. Big clear tub 2 inches of water with treat dropped in while dog watching. Next 6 inches of water with treat. Several treats each time. Now dogs go over their ears no issues. Took about 5 weeks not regularly just a few times a week. Two labs (MH) and a Boykin Spaniel now well trained and I will continue to use treats.
 
#9 ·
I'm going to Buck the trend of Science deniers and side with the scientific study as opposed to your "junk" science"

Common Sense would tell me that the dog dunking its head in a bucket of water which would entail complete immersion of hundreds of square inches of overheated head/neck surface area in cool water for a few seconds, would tend to have a MUCH better cooling effect than you splashing some water out of a pitcher or a hose on a few square inches of hot oily water resistant fur that would just splash off and for the most part likely not even reach the overheated flesh of the dog.

I have a dog trainer friend who has a radically different method that he uses and swears by his method.
He carries with him what is in effect an oversized turkey baster, capable of holding what I would guesstimate as between a quart and a half a gallon of water.

When he has an overheated dog he sticks the turkey baster in a cooler full of ice water and fills it and injects the cold water up the dog's ass.
When he first told me about this method I told him I thought that might creat cool the dog off too quickly.
He replied that's not a problem, as the cold water is not in the dog very long, and assured me that if I ever use the method I better step back quickly because that cold freezing clear water is rapidly ejected by the dog as lukewarm chunky Brown water😉
 
#11 ·
The protocol was detailed and well designed comparing 4 methods of cooling the dogs after a specified period of exercise. Physiologic data was monitored from zero (immediate cooling) to 45 minute. This graph shows a remarkably quick effect from head dunking unlike the other three methods.
Image
 
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#18 · (Edited)
The protocol was detailed and well designed comparing 4 methods of cooling the dogs after a specified period of exercise. Physiologic data was monitored from zero (immediate cooling) to 45 minute. This graph shows a remarkably quick effect from head dunking unlike the other three methods.
View attachment 97682
Dunking does show the most dramatic effect especially in terms of it almost immediate effect. I would speculate that this timing is due primarily to contact and absorption via nasal mucosa absorption. The major stumbling block to dunking seems to be that it requires compliance by the dog in time of stress. It would interesting to see what nasal contact alone would do to the graph.
The ease of using a 5-10 cc syringe (with or w/out an atomizer) to squirt water into each nostril could be done to most any dog and would be more easily repeated to keep the temp from rising again 5-10 minutes later like it does after the initial dunking.

Tim
 
#12 ·
When he has an overheated dog he sticks the turkey baster in a cooler full of ice water and fills it and injects the cold water up the dog's ass.
If he kept beer in the same cooler nobody would steal it.

This graph shows a remarkably quick effect from head dunking unlike the other three methods.
Cold water up the ass line is off the chart?
 
#13 ·
Cold water up the ass line is off the chart?
Probably not repeatable for subsequent episodes, to quote a former Dallas Cowboys running back with regard to his absence from “voluntary minicamp”, “what do voluntary mean?”
 
#19 ·
No mention of glucose use?
 
#20 ·
Hypoglycemia and hyperthermia are different physiologic abnormalities, glucose does not alleviate the state of hyperthermia and glucose metabolism plays no part in it’s development
 
#27 ·
My recently departed CLF became overheated at a dove shoot a few years ago. It was extremely scary and happened very quickly. I suspect that the humidity was more at fault than the actual heat. Anyway, she was exhibiting reduced motor function of course and panting insanely. Unfortunately, my electronic hearing protection caused me not to notice the difference in her panting from normal panting. Anyway, I suspect that between the panting and the loss of motor function and general distress, she very possibly wouldn't have performed a voluntary head dunk had she been trained to do so. Fortunately, they had a big tub of water on hand and began dumping bags of ice in it and we immersed her in it. A vet was there shooting doves and he monitored her temperature until it was time to remove her from the ice bath. This seems a worthwhile thing to train our dogs to do although I fear that they might be too confused/distressed to do it when it is needed most.
 
#28 ·
The handful of emergencies I've seen, there is no way a dog had the motor function to dunk themselves
 
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#30 ·
No question the ole "ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" applies here. Although previously mentioned learning to recognize signs of an impending emergency and keeping your dog lean is also beneficial.
This all kind of strays from Dr. Ed's initial post which simply outlined a study that shows that a dog that "voluntarily" dunks it's head in cold water will cool itself faster than the other methods observered in the study .
Perhaps this implies a dog that is "forced" to dunk it's head will not cool as efficiently?
Or maybe this implies the authors of the study are concerned with being accused of doing anything that does not appear the dog gave consent, written or verbal to be involved in said study. 🤔😉