[Blood acid-base status in fattening pigs in exhausting physical stress of high intensity]

Reported in this paper are changes in the acid-base state and lactic concentration of blood and muscle samples taken from 28 pigs prior to, during, and after high-intensity exhausting stress applied at ambient temperatures between 17 degrees C and 21 degrees C and at 35 degrees C. Close correlations were found to exist between acid-base states, on the one hand, and lactic acid concentrations, on the other. The lactic acid concentrations reached in blood plasma were between 30 and 40 mHol/1, pH being below 7.0 and BE values being smaller than -22 mHol/1. Close relationships were established between the lactic acid concentration of venous blood plasma, blood pH, and the pH of the musculus longissimus dorsi. Respiratory compensation was of minor importance with ambient temperatures between 17 degrees C and 21 degrees C, but it was of considerable effectiveness at 35 degrees C.