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Reliability of an incremental exercise test to evaluate acute blood lactate, heart rate and body temperature responses in Labrador retrievers

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Abstract

Thirteen healthy Labrador retrievers underwent a 5-stage incremental treadmill exercise test to assess its reliability. Blood lactate (BL), heart rate (HR), and body temperature (BT) were measured at rest, after each stage of exercise, and after a 20-min recovery. Reproducibility was assessed by repeating the test after 7 days. Two-way MANOVAs revealed significant differences between consecutive stages, and between values at rest and after recovery. There was also a significant reduction in physiological strain between the first and second trial (learning effect). Test reliability expressed as typical error (BL = 0.22 mmol/l, HR = 9.81 bpm, BT = 0.22°C), coefficient of variation (BL = 19.3%, HR = 7.9% and BT = 0.6%) and test–retest correlation (BL = 0.89, HR = 0.96, BT = 0.95) was good. Results support test reproducibility although the learning effect needs to be controlled when investigating the exercise-related problems commonly observed in this breed.

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Notes

  1. Study protocol 0705A07843, approved on June 20 2007.

  2. L8 Rehabilitation Treadmill, Landice Inc., Randolph, New Jersey USA.

  3. Web Master™, Ruff Wear Inc., Bend, Oregon, USA.

  4. Bark'n Boots™ Grip Trex™, Ruff Wear Inc., Bend, Oregon, USA.

  5. Lactate Scout, Senslab, Leipzig, Germany.

  6. Sapphire ECG, Vetronic, Newton Abbot, UK.

  7. Blue sensor, M-00-S, Medicotest, Ølstykke, Denmark.

  8. Mabis Healthcare, Waukegan, Illinois, USA.

  9. SPSS 16.0 Software, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

  10. Microsoft Office Excel XP 2003, Microsoft Corporation, US.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the owners of the dogs involved in this study for their precious support and encouragement. A special thank you to Heidi Cooper, Jaime Shriver and Christopher McKinney for their invaluable technical assistance. Some of the results of the present study have been presented at the ECVIM-CA annual congress, Ghent, Belgium, 4–8 September 2008. This study was supported by the Department of Clinical Veterinary Sciences, University of Minnesota, USA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA

    Luca Ferasin

  2. School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences, Bangor University, Gwynedd, Wales, UK

    Samuele Marcora

  3. 10 Brambridge House, Kiln Lane, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO50 6HL, UK

    Luca Ferasin

Authors
  1. Luca Ferasin
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  2. Samuele Marcora
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Correspondence to Luca Ferasin.

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Communicated by G. Heldmaier.

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Ferasin, L., Marcora, S. Reliability of an incremental exercise test to evaluate acute blood lactate, heart rate and body temperature responses in Labrador retrievers. J Comp Physiol B 179, 839–845 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-009-0367-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-009-0367-z

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