Study finds ice packs reduce skin perfusion in dogs

CURRENT FULL VERSION: A small but clinically relevant canine study is sharpening the conversation around one of veterinary medicine’s most familiar tools: the ice pack. In a 2025 AJVR paper, investigators reported that applying an ice pack to healthy canine skin for 15 minutes reduced skin perfusion not only immediately after treatment, but also 15 minutes after the pack was removed. The findings were later highlighted by AVMA Journals in the July 2, 2025, Veterinary Vertex podcast episode “Ice Packs and Skin Perfusion,” where the authors noted that the project was designed to test a recommendation many veterinarians are taught—particularly in soft tissue surgery—without much direct canine evidence behind it. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

That may sound intuitive, because cryotherapy has long been used to reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation. But in practice, veterinary clinicians have often relied on general physiologic assumptions, human literature, and rehab teaching materials more than direct canine perfusion data. Existing veterinary references describe cold therapy as producing vasoconstriction and lowering blood flow, while also warning that prolonged or poorly applied cold can raise the risk of tissue injury. In the podcast, coauthor Vanna Dickerson, a soft tissue surgeon, said the question grew out of longstanding advice to avoid icing after advanced reconstructive procedures such as skin flaps or grafts because of concern about reducing perfusion—advice she had heard during training but had not found strong evidence to support in dogs. (vetfolio-vetstreet.s3.amazonaws.com)

The new study helps fill that gap with objective measurement. According to the abstract, researchers evaluated 10 healthy dogs after clipping a region of ventral midline skin and used laser speckle contrast imaging, a noninvasive technique for assessing microcirculation. Skin temperature dropped from 92.2 ± 0.6°F at baseline to 69.1 ± 1.1°F immediately after icing, then rose to 87.5 ± 0.5°F 15 minutes later. Perfusion decreased by a mean of 10.0 ± 5.7% immediately after icing and 14.8 ± 7.5% at 15 minutes post-icing. The authors concluded that a 15-minute ice-pack application decreases skin perfusion for at least 15 minutes after removal. In the podcast discussion, Dickerson said the team expected a decrease but did not know how large it would be, and emphasized that the key comparison was to each dog’s own baseline perfusion before icing. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

That matters because the effect persisted even as skin temperature partially rebounded, suggesting the physiologic impact may outlast the actual contact period. The authors’ clinical relevance statement is measured: veterinarians should consider the association between ice-pack use and decreased skin perfusion when deciding whether to implement the therapy, but more research is needed to determine whether that change affects healing. In other words, the study strengthens the mechanism, not yet the outcome data. The podcast added a practical nuance: for some cases, a 10% to 15% drop in perfusion may be inconsequential, but after procedures where a small decrease could mean flap compromise or failure, clinicians may reasonably remain cautious. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Broader veterinary rehabilitation literature gives that finding useful context. Reviews and clinical guidance continue to frame cryotherapy as a mainstay for acute inflammation and postoperative recovery, especially in the first 48 hours, because it can limit edema, pain, bleeding, and metabolic demand. Other recent veterinary work has also explored how different cooling methods affect tissue temperature in dogs and horses, including evidence that compression-based systems may cool deeper structures more effectively than simple ice boots in equine limbs. (todaysveterinarynurse.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the practical takeaway isn’t that ice packs are suddenly out of favor. It’s that protocol decisions may deserve more nuance, especially around tissues where perfusion is already a concern, such as fresh incisions, compromised skin, flaps, or poorly vascularized areas. A treatment intended to control swelling and pain may also transiently reduce local blood supply, and that tradeoff could matter differently depending on the patient, tissue, timing, and therapeutic goal. Existing guidance already advises caution in animals with vascular compromise, sensory deficits, or skin injury, and this study gives those cautions a stronger physiologic footing in dogs. It also gives some evidence behind a teaching many surgeons and trainees have heard for years: avoid icing when even a modest reduction in blood flow could jeopardize tissue viability. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

There’s also a communication angle for clinics. Pet parents are often told to use cold therapy after surgery or injury, but home instructions can be inconsistent about duration, barriers between the pack and skin, and when to stop. Older veterinary guidance recommends a thin barrier rather than direct ice contact, while rehab references commonly limit sessions to roughly 10 to 20 minutes. As more outcome-based research emerges, practices may want to revisit discharge instructions so they reflect not just tradition, but species-specific evidence. (vetfolio-vetstreet.s3.amazonaws.com)

What to watch: The most important next studies will test whether these measured decreases in perfusion change healing, pain scores, swelling, or complication rates in real patients, particularly after surgery or in wound care, and whether different cryotherapy methods alter that balance in more favorable ways. Based on the authors’ podcast comments, flap and graft patients may be among the clearest groups in which that outcome-focused evidence could directly change practice. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)