Now that warmer weather is finally here, a British vet has revealed seven dog breeds that suffer from heat stroke.
Content creator @ben.the.vet shared the list in a video on TikTok, where she has more than 200,000 followers.
Her videos typically focus on information about animal welfare, including how to responsibly care for companion animals, as well as the different health challenges faced by different species and breeds.
In a recent video, she talked about how hot weather can affect dogs, highlighting some of the breeds that suffer the most as a result of high temperatures. The evidence-based clip was reported by new research from the Royal Veterinary College who researched heat stroke in dogs in the UK.
He also explained why these breeds suffer the most and the physiological qualities they have that make the hot climate so difficult.
British vet Ben the Vet (pictured) has revealed seven dog breeds that are at high risk of heat stroke.
In the video, Ben comments: “Some dog breeds just aren’t made for hot weather. Here are seven of them.”
‘Number seven on the list is the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. They have short coats, but they are small, muscular dogs, and those muscles generate a lot of body heat.’
She added that these dogs can also be prone to stress, so it is “particularly important to keep them nice and cool” in hot weather.
Moving on to the next breed on his list, Ben said: “Sixth is the Pomeranian. They have a very thick coat and they also have quite a short muzzle, which means they don’t lose heat very effectively by panting.”
Speaking about Pomeranians, she also debunked a myth about the animals’ fur in general, saying: “By the way, it’s a complete myth that a long coat protects a dog from overheating by trapping air. I don’t know who invented that.”
The next three dogs he listed, ranking fifth, fourth, and third on his list respectively, were Pugs, Frenchies, and English Bulldogs (he described the breeds as the “flat-faced trio”).
According to Ben: ‘We humans… can use the entire surface of our body to lose heat through sweat.
‘Dogs rely on the inner surface of their throat and nose. When they pant, air moves in and out of their nose and throat, and heat is lost.
The vet revealed where he got the data for his evidence-based video on which dog breeds are most at risk of heat stroke.
“If you have a very short snout and you’re a dog, you won’t be able to get rid of that heat fast enough.”
The second breed most at risk is the Chow Chow, according to Ben, who noted that this breed is “11 times more at risk for heat stroke than a Labrador.”
This, he explained, is because they have “a relatively flattened face and extremely thick fur” – a “perfect recipe for overheating”.
Moving on to the dog ranked number one on the heat stroke risk list, Ben said: ‘At 15 times the risk is the Newfoundland.
“They’re just not built for the heat. They’re huge dogs with thick, dense coats. They were bred to work in cold temperatures, in cold water, not 30 degrees.”
(tags to translate)dailymail