Abstract :
[en] Background and objective
Canicross and its derivatives are burgeoning sports activities for the dog-master duo; nonetheless, scientific
knowledge in this field is lacking. Our objective consisted in a first approach to this gap.
Material and Methods
On December 2021 (5°C, 80% humidity) and May 2022 (20°C, 54% humidity), we recruited 9 and 11 dogs
covering a distance of 5.7 and 4 km, respectively. We collected physical and blood parameters as heart rate
(HR), respiratory rate (RR), rectal temperature (RT), hematology, biochemistry, blood lactate and glucose, at
rest (T0), immediately (T1) and 1 hour after exercise (T2). We performed an ANOVA on repeated measures.
Results
On December as on May, we observed a significant increase in RT and HR. Mean RT at T1 was more than
1°C higher on May (40.49±0.88) than on December (39.29±1.06). Hematocrit increased with exercise in both
conditions, the rise being significant only in December. Concerning electrolytes, only Mg decreased with
exercise on December, whereas also other electrolytes (Cl, K, Ca, P, Mg) changed on May. Biochemistry was
unchanged, except for creatinine on May. Lactate was not affected by exercise on December but increased
significantly on May from T0 to T1.
Discussion
Few parameters were modified in cold conditions, while electrolytes and lactate significantly changed in
warmer conditions. The difference in the increase of RT between December and May is a crucial parameter for
animal welfare. Hypomagnesemia with exercise was common to both situations.
Conclusions
Research on canine exercise physiology deserves development to support owners and veterinarians.
