GUIDANCE FOR EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS
As temperatures look to remain high across the UK, we’re reminding organisers and competitors to prioritise the health and welfare of dogs, handlers and all involved at canine events.
Our guidance below on managing events during hot weather includes practical considerations for planning, travel, competition and welfare monitoring.
Guidance for Organisers and Competitors of Canine Events
• Dogs have different methods of managing their body temperature when exposed to high ambient temperatures compared to other species such as humans and horses.
• Dogs have a very limited capacity to cool by sweating, making exposure to high ambient temperatures and humidity a significant, potential health and welfare concern.
• Dogs can however be susceptible to both low and high temperatures and exposure to low ambient temperatures can be exacerbated by exposure to or immersion in water
• Dogs have limited ability to lose heat by sweating and instead utilise other physiological and behavioural mechanisms and as a result, dogs can be more susceptible to (high) heat-related illness events than other species
• Characteristics of dogs that further impact on their ability to regulate their body temperature when exposed to high ambient temperatures include sex (entire males at enhanced risk), coat colour (dark coated dogs are at enhanced risk), health status (diseases/illnesses/overweight/obesity can all enhance the risk of heat related illness), training and conditioning, acclimatisation, coat type and thickness, breed/type (brachycephalic breeds and types have reduced capacity for heat loss) and age (young and older dogs may have altered capacity to deal with temperature extremes). If a dog falls into one, or more of these categories, then additional care and management is likely required, although ALL dogs should be carefully managed and monitored.
• Dogs in vehicles may be at risk - existing guidance is already clear on this for RKC events and organisers and competitors are reminded to ensure that all necessary and suitable provisions are undertaken to always maximise canine health and welfare
• For dogs that might be exposed to cold, wet weather or asked to work in water, acknowledgement of potential challenges to health and welfare should also be noted by organisers, judges, stewards, and competitors, with alterations made as required and on a robust risk assessment basis that takes account of potential health and welfare concerns.
Guidance for Competition organisers
• Consider providing areas of shade or shelter around rings and other areas where dogs and handlers are likely to congregate
• Provide constant updates as to competition progress to limit dogs and handlers waiting in adverse weather conditions for long periods before competing and potentially limiting queueing/waiting in inclement weather/high temperatures
• Encourage competitors to always prioritise their dog’s health and welfare while attending a competition
• Consider the provision of ‘plunge/paddling pools’ around a competition venue, although these should be included in any risk assessment and should be checked, water replaced and refilled at regular intervals.
• Consider provision of fresh, clean drinking water which is checked, replaced, and refilled at regular intervals, ideally with provision of water replacement after every individual dog has availed of it to minimise infection risk.
• Where possible, provide shaded parking and security patrols to permit open vehicles. Vehicles that are opened in such a way to permit air flow may help mitigate extremes of temperature. This might include open windows, doors and tailgates/boots. Any dogs within vehicles must be regularly monitored for welfare and any risk of escape must be minimised through suitable, secure restraint, for example travel cages. Vehicle safety, security and monitoring should be included in the event risk assessment.
• Organisers may also wish to consider alternative start and finish times, noting that often the highest temperatures are experienced much later in the day than commonly thought and competitor awareness and expectations to be carefully managed – social media channels can be an excellent way to keep competitors informed
• Alternatively or in concert with amended event start/finish times, the inclusion of midday/siesta breaks are encouraged where ambient conditions are extreme and exceed those commonly considered to be safe for humans and dogs alike. Guidance from The Met Office can be used to assess decision-making criteria and other sources of weather-related information such as:
The National Severe Weatehr Warning Sevice - https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings
Weather health alerts | UKHSA data dashboard
• Postponements and cancellations of events and competitions are also possible and guidance from The Royal Kennel Club should be sought in such an event.
• Consider early decision-making regarding start times/postponement/cancellation/abandonment to permit planning by all concerned based on long- and short-range weather forecasts
• Where high temperatures are forecast, consider early start times, longer lunch/early afternoon breaks (noting that often noon is not actually the hottest part of the day) and even continuation into the evening where possible
• It is suggested that a ‘Temperature Officer’ role is allocated for all events and that this individual is responsible for monitoring and assessing conditions, including risk assessing on a dynamic basis and reporting/logging all incidents with a potential link to adverse weather events
• Organisers can request the use of a WBGT to assess overall status of weather at high profile events, although explicit ‘cut-off’ times are not prescribed, and decisions should be taken on a dynamic and individual situation basis
• Risk Assessments to continue to include consideration of adverse weather events with management for temperature extremes and acknowledgement of potential risk to all parties involved (canine, human, other species where appropriate)
• Provision of veterinary cover or appointment of a suitable ‘first point of contact’ individual at each event with a clear policy on first aid in the event of illness related to extremes of temperature. For dogs suffering from heat-related illness, immediate and ongoing cooling through the application of cold water (while ensuring airway maintenance) is recommended. For dogs suffering with hypothermia, warming (and drying if appropriate) is essential through the use of towels, blankets, clothing or careful exposure to external heating sources, such as the internal warmth of a vehicle. Veterinary advice and attention must always be sought in the event of a dog presenting as a result of exposure to any temperature extreme.
• Organisers can highlight first aid/resource ‘station’ location at events
• Incident book recording of adverse weather events and any linked incidents is recommended
Guidance for Competitors
• Your dog’s health and welfare should always be your priority in preparing for, travelling to and from, competing at and being present at any canine event
• If extremes of temperature or adverse weather conditions are anticipated or experienced, always consider your dog’s capacity and capability to deal with these. This is especially relevant in the case of high temperatures where older dogs, young dogs, dogs with overweight/obesity or ongoing illnesses, dogs on certain medications (including fluoxetine), dark coloured or heavily coated dogs and entire male dogs may be at increased risk of heat-related illness
• Your dog is at particular risk of heat-related illness in a vehicle, both when travelling and static, so care and management should be employed to minimise the risk of exposure to extreme conditions. This will likely involve enhanced air flow, possible use of fans, shading, air conditioning and other strategies
• Fresh, clean drinking water should be always available, and you might also wish to consider having the capacity to cool down or warm your dog up in an emergency situation
• Avail of shade when possible and reduce the time spend exposed directly to adverse and extreme conditions
• The decision to compete your dog is entirely yours and while competition organisers will carefully risk assess all events, you are under no obligation to compete if you feel your dog’s health and welfare might be impacted – dogs and handlers vary in their individual capacity to cope with adverse conditions
• Be prepared for events and competitions to be dynamic in their response to adverse conditions through amending start/finish times, postponements, and abandonments. Social media and other channels can be useful sources of information in such cases