Temporal relationship between gastrointestinal protein loss, gastric ulceration or erosion, and strenuous exercise in racing Alaskan sled dogs

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Alterations in the appearance and function of gastrointestinal mucosa are common after strenuous exercise. However, the duration of exercise required to alter the gastrointestinal mucosa has not been reported. HYPOTHESIS: We used 42 sled dogs to test the hypothesis that the magnitude of exercise-induced gastrointestinal mucosal dysfunction is related to exercise duration. ANIMALS: Six dogs served as conditioned controls, and the remaining dogs were randomly chosen for examination after 1-5 consecutive days of running at 100 miles/d. METHODS: Gastroduodenoscopy and measurement of gastric permeability were performed 24 hours after cessation of exercise. Intestinal protein loss (rep..