Heart Rate Changes Before, During, and After Treadmill Walking Exercise in Normal Dogs.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Canine Rehabilitation
• Cardiovascular Physiology

Background:

• Heart rate (HR) changes in dogs indicate physiological states like conditioning, fear, pain, and anticipation.
• Routine HR assessment is lacking in veterinary rehabilitation, hindering optimal protocol development and post-operative care.
• Understanding HR responses during specific exercises is vital for tailoring rehabilitation programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess canine heart rate (HR) during treadmill exercise (TE) walking.
• To compare the accuracy and agreement of three HR measurement techniques: auscultation, HR monitor, and Holter monitor.
• To establish expected HR increases during TE and evaluate post-exercise recovery patterns.

Main Methods:

• Eight healthy, large-breed adult dogs participated in the study.
• HR was simultaneously recorded using auscultation, an HR monitor, and a Holter monitor during rest, pre-TE, TE (walk), and post-TE (15 and 60 seconds).
• Statistical analyses included correlations, Bland-Altman analyses, and repeated measures ANOVA.

Main Results:

• Treadmill exercise (TE) during walking significantly increased HR, with elevations not consistently reflected in post-exercise measurements.
• Auscultation was not feasible during the walking phase of TE.
• Significant moderate-to-strong correlations were found among all HR monitoring methods, indicating good agreement between devices.

Conclusions:

• Both HR monitors and Holter monitors effectively capture exercise-induced HR increases in dogs during TE.
• These devices can guide TE regimens, optimizing training effectiveness and minimizing injury risk.
• Further research is needed to validate findings in diverse canine populations beyond healthy, large breeds.