Slotta-Bachmayr Leopold, Oyugi Antony, Mutoro Noreen, Burak Mary, Wykstra Mary
Department Environment & Biodiversity, Salzburg University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.
Action for Cheetahs in Kenya, Nairobi P.O. Box 1611-00606, Kenya.
Animals (Basel). 2024 Aug 23;14(17):2456. doi: 10.3390/ani14172456.
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 to resting days (37.5 ± 2.2 °C). In the short term, on the first day of fieldwork, the dog's body temperature (n = 2) decreased after 10 min of rest. On the second consecutive day of fieldwork, the 10-min recovery period was too short, and the body temperature did not decrease significantly. Our data showed that the use of detection dogs in hot conditions is possible and useful but requires increased attention to prevent heat-related illness.
体温是影响工作犬表现的一个重要生理参数。犬类的主要散热机制是喘气以支持蒸发散热，这会降低犬类检测气味的能力。在本研究中，我们调查了四只在肯尼亚北部炎热环境中搜寻猎豹粪便的探测犬的总体身体状况。我们评估了工作后短期内（数小时内）和长期内（12 - 24小时）对犬类体温的影响。被调查犬只的粪便稠度和平均体温在个体之间存在显著差异，但在不同地点（内罗毕温和、桑布鲁炎热）之间没有差异。在野外工作后的早晨，与休息日（37.5 ± 2.2 °C）相比，犬只的体温显著升高（37.9 ± 0.8 °C）。在短期内，在野外工作的第一天，休息10分钟后犬只的体温（n = 2）下降。在野外工作连续的第二天，10分钟的恢复期太短，体温没有显著下降。我们的数据表明，在炎热条件下使用探测犬是可行且有用的，但需要更多关注以预防与热相关的疾病。
