Serum chemistry alterations in Alaskan sled dogs during five successive days of prolonged endurance exercise

Abstract

Objective - To determine the impact of successive days of endurance exercise on select serum chemistry values in conditioned Alaskan sled dogs. Design - Prospective cohort study. Animals - 10 conditioned Alaskan sled dogs. Procedures - All dogs ran 160 km/d for 5 consecutive days. Serum was obtained prior to exercise and immediately after each exercise run; all samples were obtained before dogs were fed. Serum electrolyte, mineral, protein, total bilirubin, urea nitrogen, creatinine, and cardiac troponin-I concentrations and serum alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, creatine kinase, and aspartate aminotransferase activities were measured. Data were analyzed by means of analysis o..