Recognizing and Treating Canine Hypothermia and Frostbite written by Vikki Fenton-Anderberg Search and rescue personnel are trained to recognize and treat hypothermia and frostbite in the victim and their fellow searchers. Canine handlers must remember to consider the same possibility in their four legged partners . This occurs when heat loss exceeds heat production. Loss of body heat occurs through four primary mechanisms. Conduction is an exchange of heat between two objects of different temperatures, such as from the warm dog to the cold rock upon which he is sitting.
Convection is the loss of heat due to the movement of air from around the body.
An example of Convection is when wind carries away warmed air from around the dog and replaces it with colder air which the dog then needs to warm back up. Radiation is known as the transfer of heat by an infrared process between two objects of different temperatures. Evaporation of water from the skin, mucous membranes, and through the respiratory passages is also a significant source of heat loss. The dog s only conscious action is an attempt to optimize heat production and minimize heat loss by seeking shelter from the cold. Shivering , which is an involuntary heat generating response by the skeletal muscles to cold conditions, is the primary heat producing activity.