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Effects of Treadmill Exercise on Respiratory Moisture Losses in Goats of Different Breeds |
I. W. Kasa, C. J. Thwaites, M. D. Hill, N. D. Baillie |
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Abstract |
Changes in respiration rate (RR), rectal temperature (RT), respiratory moisture loss (RML), packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin (Hb) were monitored in 2 adults female goats each of the Saanen (S) and Toggenburg (T) breeds during 60 min of exercise (walking at 3 km/h) on a moving-belt treadmill on each of 6 alternate days. A significant time횞breed interaction was observed for RR; mean values in S and T after 60 min of exercise were 130 and 223 /min (p<.01). The observed time횞breed interaction for RT indicated that S was less stressed by exercise than T; mean values after 60 min exercise were 40.4 and 40.8째C respectively (p<.01). For RML, the day횞breed interaction (p<.001) indicated that while S had higher values on day 1, thereafter the values for T were higher. The time횞breed interaction for RML/breath indicated that values for T declined more rapidly (from 9.4 to 3.1 mg/breath) than those for S (from 8.3 to 4.1 mg/breath; (p<.01). PCV declined during exercise (p<.05) by 5.5 percentage points. The exercise imposed was stressful in that it led to increases in RR, RT and RML. S was most tolerant of exercise in that it recorded lower values of RT. The fact that the RML/breath was higher during exercies in S apparently allowed it to compensate for a lower RR. Despite higher RR and RML, T also had a higher RT, suggesting either higher muscular heat production during exercise in that breed, or higher sweating losses in S. |
Keywords:
Goats; Panting; Exercise; Thermoregulation; Respiratory Moisture Loss; Walking |
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