VN June 2021

Vetnews | June 2021 37 Recent Clinically Relevant Research from Around theWorld Although dark coat colour in dogs has been theorised as a risk factor for heat injury, there is little evidence in the scientific literature to support that position. In this study, Caitlin Neander and co-workers utilised 16 non-conditioned Labradors (8 black and 8 yellow) in a three-phase test to examine effects of coat colour on thermal status of the dog. Rectal, gastrointestinal (GI), and surface temperature using infrared thermography measured at the eye and abdomen, were measured along with respiration rate measured in breaths per minute (bpm), collected at three time points. Phase 1 (baseline) – 30 minutes of crate rest in a climate-controlled room; Phase 2 (walking in sunlight) – 30-minute walk in an outdoor environment on a sunny day; and Phase 3 (cooling) – 15 minutes of crate rest in climate-controlled room to determine post-exposure recovery temperatures. No effect of coat colour was measured for rectal, gastrointestinal, surface temperature, or respiration rate (P > 0.05) in dogs following their 30-minute walk in sunlight. All temperatures measured increased similarly (rectal 1.86°C and 1.80°C; GI 1.92°C and 1.95°C; eye 2.8°C and 1.92°C; abdomen 2.91°C and 2.39°C) in black and yellow dogs respectively, following 30 minutes in sunlight (P > 0.05). Additionally, temperatures decreased in a similar fashion for both coat colours (rectal 0.84°C and 0.88°C; GI 1.48°C and 1.32°C; eye 1.49°C and 1.70°C; abdominal 1.75°C and 1.5°C) in black and yellow dogs respectively (P > 0.05) during cooling. Respiration rate increased similarly for both coat colours, (147.2 bpm and 143.7 bpm for black and yellow respectively) when baseline values were compared to sunlight values and decreased similarly (28.8 bpm black; 60.2 bpm yellow after cooling phase (P > 0.05). These novel data reveal a surprising lack of effect for black vs. yellow coat colour on body temperature as measured by standard rectal thermometer, gastrointestinal thermistor, or infrared thermography in a population of Labrador retrievers. v (Source: Journal of Veterinary Behaviour ) A comparison of black vs yellow coat colour on rectal and gastrointestinal temperature in Labrador retrievers Researchers within the VetCompass™ team at the RVC have developed a new tool that can be used to evaluate the risk of Cushing’s syndrome in dogs. The freely accessible tool is designed to be used in practice to support decision-making and ultimately increase confidence in diagnosis. The classical clinical signs associated with the disease are well reported, with affected dogs typically showing various combinations of frequent passing of large volumes of urine (polyuria), excessive thirst (polydipsia), excessive appetite (polyphagia), a potbellied appearance, muscle weakness, bilateral alopecia, panting and lethargy. Cushing’s syndrome can be difficult to diagnose because these clinical signs are often non-specific to the disease. Additionally, there is no single, highly accurate test for Cushing’s syndrome and these tests are often over-used, making results difficult to interpret. To directly support vets in practice, researchers within theVetCompass TM teamat the RVC have developed this novel tool which can be used in the practice setting to assess individual patient risks prior to confirmatory testing. The tool was developed after the application of advanced statistical methods and is made up of 10‘predictive’factors for Cushing’s syndrome. The tool reports the probability of an individual dog having Cushing’s syndrome, based on these factors. This study was made possible due to access of large volumes of anonymised data through the VetCompassTM programme and funding from DechraVeterinary Products Ltd. The study included data fromhundreds of dogs tested for Cushing’s syndrome across 886 UK veterinary practices and used data on dogs’demographics, clinical signs at presentation and laboratory results. Imogen Schofield, co-author and PhD student at the RVC, said:“The output from this research provides clinicians in primary-care practice with an easy touse and intuitive tool that canaiddecision-makingduring theoften frustratingprocess of diagnosingCushing’s syndrome. Usingour tool to assess how likely a suspected dog is of having Cushing’s syndrome before undertaking further testing could reduce inappropriate use of currently available diagnostic tests.” The tool is available as a free download: https://www.rvc.ac.uk/Media/Default/VetCompass/Documents/cushings-prediction-tool.pdf The full paper, along with details of how to use the tool, has been published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine and is freely available open access at: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jvim.15851. v NewVetCompass tools aids diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome in dogs