Veterinary Vertex
Veterinary Vertex is a weekly podcast that takes you behind the scenes of the clinical and research discoveries published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) and the American Journal of Veterinary Research (AJVR). Tune in to learn about cutting-edge veterinary research and gain in-depth insights you won’t find anywhere else. Come away with knowledge you can put to use in your own practice – along with a healthy dose of inspiration to remind you what you love about veterinary medicine.
Veterinary Vertex
Rapid Cooling in Dogs: The Science Behind Post-Exercise Head Dunking
A working dog powers through a hot training session, then stops. The clock is ticking, because core temperature can keep climbing even after the effort ends. We sit down with JAVMA student award winner Sarah Parnes to unpack a simple, field-ready strategy that changes outcomes: cool first, transport second. Using the gear most of us carry—a water bottle, a towel, a small cooler—Sara's team tested multiple methods outdoors to mirror real-world conditions. One approach stood out: a voluntary head dunk that quickly blunted the post-exercise temperature rise while other techniques only reduced heat more slowly.
We dig into why the head matters for thermoregulation, how targeted cooling may protect the brain and calm the system, and what owners can do when water is limited. If a dog won’t dunk, pouring water over the head or using a wet towel still helps, but the dunk delivered the strongest effect. We also break down the early signs of heat stress that many people miss: ears pulled back, a long curled tongue, squinting eyes, shade seeking, and sudden reluctance to move. For brachycephalic breeds like French Bulldogs and Pugs, we share prevention tactics that reduce risk on hot days, from timing exercise to creating shade and ensuring fresh water.
Sarah also opens up about the research journey, from designing realistic protocols to exploring unanswered questions—like how post-exercise drinking during a dunk may influence cooling, and what head-focused alternatives work for dogs that avoid submersion. Whether you handle working dogs or walk a weekend warrior, you’ll leave with practical tools to act fast and smart when the temperature spikes. If this conversation helps you or your dog community, subscribe, share the episode, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find these life-saving tips.
JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.24.06.0368
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Welcome to Veterinary Vertex, the AVMA Journal's podcast, where we delve into behind-the-scenes look with manuscript authors. I'm editor-in-chief Lisa 48, joined by associate editor Sarah Wright. Today, we're exploring how voluntary head dunking after exercise-induced hyperthermia very rapidly reduces core body temperature in dogs with our JABMA Award winner, Sarah Parnes.
SPEAKER_01:Sarah, thank you so much for being here today. Thank you for having me. All right, so before we dive right in, could you share a little bit about your background and what brought you to this project?
SPEAKER_02:Sure. So growing up, I was always involved in athletics in high school and at the collegiate level. So when I was looking into veterinary schools, I was instantly attracted to Pennbet because of the Penbet Working Dog Center and the amazing work that they do with working dogs and training and as well as their sports medicine program. And then my first week of veterinary school, Dr. Otto, who runs the center, came to give a presentation and I was immediately hooked. I reached out to Dr. Otto and Dr. Ramos. And one of the projects they were trying to start was the cooling studies that I participated in. And I spent the next two summers at the center working on projects related to reducing the body temperature after exercise and working dogs.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, very cool, Sarah. As you just said, your jab article describes how really the concept is to cool first, transport second reduces morbidity and mortality in these acute heat injury in dogs. What's a little bit more on the motivation behind this research?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so cool first, transport second is a saying that comes from the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Committee on trauma. Um, heat injury, you know, not only affects our working dogs, which is, you know, kind of who we did our population study on, but also pet dogs. And while it can be avoided, it unfortunately can lead to very serious consequences if it's not prevented or treated. Um, so this research really aimed to find the best way to cool a dog down and decrease the risk of heat injury, especially where, you know, for working dogs, sometimes there's not um areas of air conditioning or large amounts of water available. Um, so we also wanted to use this research to help educate uh both handlers but also owners about heat injury and how best to help their dogs before they can see a veterinarian. Um, it's especially helpful because after exercise, a dog's internal body temperature will continue to rise. So if an owner or a handler is able to intervene prior to um, you know, veterinary care with something like a head dunk or anything that we tested, um, it could really, you know, change the outcome for their pet.
SPEAKER_00:That's very, very cool. Uh, how did you structure the study to capture real word condition, real world conditions and emergency settings? What were some of the logistical issues?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so um for each cooling method that we tested, we used items that would be commonly in a first aid kit or carried by an owner on a long walk. So a towel, a bottle of water, um, ice packs if they're in a first aid kit, even like using like a t-shirt or something as a towel. Um, we based the amount of water that um people would have to put on the towels on like how much is in an average size water bottle. Um, as for the head dunk, you know, we used a cooler that was filled with water and not a large pool, which many handlers would not have, you know, in the work setting. Um, and it's possible that a cooler may not be accessible depending on the situation. Um, but now that we know that the head dunk is the most effective uh cooling method, we can say maybe you want to use that limited water that you do have towards the head to help cool that head. Um, and then for the rest of our project, we kept the dogs outside after they had their uh cooling intervention to help simulate the real life situations where they're not going to be able to go into like an air-conditioned room or anything, and they may need to, you know, be outside for longer periods after their event.
SPEAKER_01:This article is so fascinating and so practical too. I think it was very timely as well, just like with the summer months and with the extreme heat that we had in some parts of the country. So thank you so much for sharing it with our readers. Yeah. And for listeners unfamiliar with emergency protocols, can you explain why rapid cooling prior to transport has such a dramatic impact?
SPEAKER_02:Um, so the issue with high body temperature after exercise is that it can cause physiological changes, um, organ damage, and even neurologic deficits in our dogs. So after dogs finish exercising, kind of like what we mentioned earlier, um their core body temperature will continue to rise, which puts them at risk for injury if they can't be properly cooled. Um, so sometimes these temperatures can cause damage even in the time it takes for owners to bring their dog to the vet. And in one study, um, it was found that dogs that were more likely to survive heat stroke if the owners cooled them within four hours of bringing them to the hospital. Um, these dogs' rectal temperatures were also lower when they were admitted. Um, so this is one of the big reasons that we were really motivated to find something that was easy and effective for owners and handlers to do in the field, but also at home.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, you really teed up my next question, Sarah. Uh, what were the types of cooling methods uh you found most effective and practical?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Um, so the most effective method was the head dunk with limited water ingestion. You know, when the dogs had dunked, we couldn't keep them from drinking water, unfortunately, but you know, it always helps. Um, this was um funny enough, the only method that was able to stop the post-exercise temperature increase compared to the other methods that we tested. Um, but all the methods that we did test were successful in reducing the core body temperature over that cooling period that we had. Um, in terms of most practical, I would say depends on the dog as well as the supplies that the handler or the owner has. Ideally, um a dog would be trained to head dunk. Um, there would be enough water to perform this. We don't want to force the dog to do this because this can provide stress, um, stress the human animal bond, but also um, you know, cause them to get a little bit more uh elevated in their temperature as well. Um, but if a limited amount of water is available or the dog's not comfortable um performing the head dunk, they can also just pour water over the head.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, thank you. Really good tips. And what are some key take-home messages you hope veterinarians and clients will remember?
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:I think the biggest thing that I hope veterinarians and clients will remember from this study is the signs of heat stress and how best to help a dog when they see these signs. Um, when I would talk to, you know, friends and family, um, many of who own dogs, um, about my study. Um, many were not aware of the common signs of heat stress in dogs. Um, most owners, handlers, they usually just look for panting, but there's other things that you should be looking for in terms of how hot your dog is. So I would say like the ears pulled back, a long and curled tongue or squinting eyes can also be signs that your dog's a little bit too hot. Um, if someone sees these signs, it would be important to make sure that the dog is able to cool down appropriately, whether that means going into like an air-conditioned environment or implementing one of the cooling strategies that we talked about. Um, for veterinarians, I think it's a great information to share with clients about preventative measures, but it's important to remember, you know, with the head dunk, it shouldn't be implemented with dogs that are super severely affected. Um, you know, if dogs are not neurologically appropriate or they're showing signs of heat stroke that are very severe, um, emergency rapid cooling um should be implemented as best seen by that veterinarian.
SPEAKER_00:Very good tip, Sarah. Um anytime we do a study like this, it just brings up more questions. So, what are the next steps? What are the unanswered questions that remain?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think um, you know, this was a great first study or second study, I guess, in our um cooling study protocols. But um I think there's so many more things that can be answered from this. One of the effects I think is of drinking water, because a lot of studies in humans have shown that drinking water can help um reduce core temperature. Um, and I think when we did our study, we saw that while they were dunking their heads, they were also trying to drink the water after exercising. Um, so it'll be really interesting to see how this affects the overall body temperature and if it does stop the post-exercise increase in the body temperature. Um, I would also see um if there's any other methods that can be used for dogs that don't want to dunk their head. Um, you know, some dogs just aren't behaviorally um into that, which is completely fine. Um, but you know, testing if they put a cold water towel on their head or just pouring the water on their head and seeing if it has um any of the same impacts. So, how can owners better prevent heat injury in the first place, especially in high-risk dogs? That's a great question. I would say that there's a couple things that owners can do to prevent heat injury. Um, the first would be to ensure that if it is super, super hot outside, they limit intense outdoor activity, especially for our brachycephalic breeds. So our Frenchies, our pugs, um, dogs like that. Um, if they have to be outside, um, you know, making sure that they have ample fresh water, shade, the ability to go into an air-conditioned environment will be really important. And I think the last thing is just making sure to recognize those signs of heat injury or heat stress in dogs. Um, as we saw in our study, dogs will continue to work and run despite their temperatures raising to dangerous levels. So it's our job as owners to make sure that they're not over-exerting themselves before it gets to a very dangerous point. Um, so looking for those squinting eyes, elongated and scooped tongue, ears back, exercise intolerance, or even shade seeking or not wanting to do activity and providing cooling will be super important for owners.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, thank you, Sarah. Uh, for the listeners who might have missed it in the beginning, I mentioned that Sarah was one of our journal award winners. Um, Sarah, what did it feel like when you found out first that you were nominated and then you that you won the award?
SPEAKER_02:I honestly really couldn't believe it. Um, when we were preparing the data and writing the article, we were really excited about the results and um all of that. But I would have never guessed that this would really take off and receive the recognition that it has. Um, I had been working on the cooling studies for the first two summers of at school and into my third year prior to my clinical year. And it was just so rewarding to receive recognition for something that both myself and everyone at the center put so much hard work into.
SPEAKER_01:And was there anyone or any part of your team you immediately thought of when you heard the news?
SPEAKER_02:Um, I honestly was just so incredibly proud of our whole entire team in the center as a whole. You know, I couldn't have done any of this without Dr. Otto, Dr. Powers, Dr. Ramros. Um, I think, you know, we also had um one of my colleagues, Tina, who's a fourth-year veterinary student now, um, and everyone who just volunteers at the center. Um, that place is just a well-oiled machine and it's just amazing what they do there. So I'm just so just thankful for everyone that helped me with this.
SPEAKER_00:Sarah, what advice would you give to other veterinary school students looking to get involved in research?
SPEAKER_02:I would say it's the most rewarding, but also one of can be very frustrating as someone who's done two studies now. I think, you know, I now understand a lot about the research process. Um, you know, reading papers, I understand them better from going through like statistics and things like that. Um, I think it's something that's very rewarding and also very important for veterinary medicine as a whole. I think sometimes people can be discouraged from doing research just because, you know, it's a lot of work and it can be very frustrating, especially as someone who doesn't have a huge statistical background, but you know, you figure that out and you learn from it and it just makes you a better person overall. So I highly, highly recommend it.
SPEAKER_01:And how has this recognition shaped the direction or focus of your ongoing research?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, um, I would say that this award has made me more confident in my ability to do research. Um, it's very motivating to know that research can have a big impact on the veterinary field. Um, so knowing that it can do that, I, you know, have loved continuing to do research in just many different fields as well. Sarah, who or what has been the most influential in shaping your professional journey? So, as cliche as it may be, um I would say my parents. Um, so growing up, my parents always impressed upon my brother and I the importance of hard work and never giving up. Um, whether it be, you know, a difficult tryout for a lacrosse team or even organic chemistry, um, my parents were my biggest supporters and they always pushed me to be my best version of myself. Um, this is something I brought with me throughout my veterin school and starting of my career. Um, so I'm just so appreciative of my parents and everything they've done for me. And I'm just so happy I've picked this field to work in.
SPEAKER_00:It's a fabulous career. It's a great passion, and I'm sure they're equally as proud as you. Thank you. And before we wrap up, let's have a little fun. If you drink coffee or tea, are you a coffee before rounds or coffee all-day person?
SPEAKER_02:So, funny enough, I actually don't drink coffee. Um, not a huge fan, which shocks a lot of my intern mates. Um, but I do enjoy some tea, which I usually just sip on throughout the day when I have time.
SPEAKER_01:I think it's actually like pretty good for you. I've been trying to decrease my own caffeine consumption. So my husband and I have recently gotten into um some more teas. So I'll have to talk to you offline about what teas you like. What? So if you weren't in veterinary medicine, what other career do you think you'd love?
SPEAKER_02:I think honestly, I'd really like to be a baker. I love watching those shows where they make the cakes that look like real things or just those amazing things like the cake boss or whatever. Um, so I think that would be super fun. And just um, you know, bringing joy to people in that way would be something that I'd be interested in. That would be fun.
SPEAKER_00:I like those shows too.
SPEAKER_02:They're so fun to watch.
SPEAKER_00:Sarah, back to your little bit niche area of research. What's the most dramatic or hilarious? My dog is too hot moment you witness outside of the clinic.
SPEAKER_02:Um, so I went to veterinary school in Philly. Um, so I was taking a run on the infamous Schuylk River trail and um saw a man walking his bulldog on a relatively warm day. And at one point the dog just kind of stopped walking and looked at the man and he just would not want to move anymore. So after a couple minutes of pleading with the guy, um, the man ended up just picking up his dog and walking him the rest of the way home. And, you know, I turned around on my run and came back and saw them still carrying their dog walking back. So I think that was kind of the funniest thing I've seen. You know, he had to get home and his dog definitely did not want to walk.
SPEAKER_01:So yeah, dog was saying, I am done. I've had enough. Well, Sarah, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate you being here today and for sharing your work with Jaffma. Thank you guys. I really appreciate it. And for our listeners, you can read Sarah's award winning article in Jaffma. I'm Sarah Wright here with Lisa Fortier. Be sure to tune in next week for another episode of Veterinary Vertex. And don't forget to leave us a rating review on Ep a Podcast or wherever you listen.
