We report a case of a 10-year-old spayed female Labrador retriever that underwent dorsal laminectomy under general anesthesia. During the surgery, body temperature was maintained using a forced-air warming device. On day 1 (one day post- surgery), edema was observed around the tarsal joint of the right hindlimb, and some signs of pain were recognized. However, the cause and site of pain could not be identified, and the surgical site did not seem to be painful. Although administration of analgesics provided relief from pain, on day 4, in addition to worsening of edema, redness was observed, and heat sensation was noted on palpation. Subsequently, local cooling was performed once a day. On day 8, all symptoms and signs of pain disappeared. On the basis of the observed symptoms and clinical course, the condition was diagnosed as low temperature burn. In this case, the combination of peripheral circulatory disturbance induced by a certain surgical position which suppressed local heat dissipation, and excess heat resulting from the possible inappropriate use of a warming device might have caused the low temperature burn. This case indicates that veterinary nurses involved in patient care in the perianesthetic period should not only use warming devices appropriately, but should also observe and palpate the anesthetized patient’s body surface continuously to check for the development of low temperature burn or to
recognize signs of similar skin disorders as early as possible.
