Effect of heat stress on vital and hematobiochemical parameters of healthy dogs

Vet World Vol.15 March-2022 Article-24

Research Article

Veterinary World, 15(3): 722-727

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2022.722-727

Oyebisi Mistura Azeez¹, Folashade Helen Olaifa¹, Adakole Sylvanus Adah¹, Afisu Basiru¹, Ganiu Jimoh Akorede², Hauwa Moturayo Ambali³, Kolawole Yusuf Suleiman¹, Fatima Sanusi¹, and Mashood Bolaji⁴

1. Department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
2. Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
3. Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
4. Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.

Background and Aim: Heat stress is a major challenge for animals, impairing their welfare and performance. This study aimed to determine the effect of heat stress on the vital and hematobiochemical parameters of healthy dogs.

Materials and Methods: The experimental subjects comprised 10 dogs, encompassing seven males and three non-pregnant females between 2 and 3 years of age. Ambient temperature (AT) and relative humidity (RH) were recorded 2 hourly during the day and the temperature humidity index was calculated. Vital parameters [i.e., rectal temperature (RT), respiratory rate, and heart rate (HR)] were assessed and blood was collected from each dog daily for hematobiochemical analysis.

Results: The RT (38.5±0.2°C) of dogs exposed to high AT and high RH (HA/HR) conditions was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of dogs exposed to HA and low RH (LR) conditions (37.2±0.11°C). Under HA/HR conditions, packed cell volume, hemoglobin concentrations, and white blood cell counts were significantly lower than those of the same dogs exposed to HA/LR conditions. Conversely, under HA/HR conditions, the lymphocyte, monocyte, eosinophil, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and cortisol values were significantly higher (p<0.05) than the values obtained in dogs exposed to HA/LR conditions. Meanwhile, the alkaline phosphatase, urea, and glucose levels were significantly lower (p<0.05) in dogs exposed to HA/HR conditions.

Conclusion: The exposure of healthy dogs to HA/HR conditions induced heat stress, which may have an adverse effect on their immune status, thereby affecting their health and welfare. Keywords: blood, dog, environment, heat index.

Keywords: blood, dog, environment, heat index.

How to cite this article: Azeez OM, Olaifa FH, Adah AS, Basiru A, Akorede GJ, Ambali HM, Suleiman KY, Sanusi F, Bolaji M (2022) Effect of heat stress on vital and hematobiochemical parameters of healthy dogs, Veterinary World, 15(3): 722-727.

Received: 06-11-2021 Accepted: 09-02-2022 Published online: 25-03-2022

Corresponding author: Folashade Helen Olaifa E-mail: olaifa.fh@unilorin.edu.ng

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2022.722-727

Copyright: Azeez, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.