Responses to exercise in the pregnant pygmy goat

Pregnant Pygmy goats were trained to walk on a treadmill up a 10 degree grade at a rate of 1.5 mile/hr for 10 min. Hemodynamic measurements were made in duplicate during late pregnancy and postpartum, at rest and after 3 min of exercise. All kids were weighed within 12 hr of delivery to assess the effect of exercise on fetal growth. Pulse rate, cardiac output and oxygen consumption were higher during pregnancy than postpartum, at rest and also during exercise. Stroke volume increased significantly with exercise. Peripheral vascular resistance (pvr) at rest was lower during pregnancy than postpartum, and decreased significantly during exercise, especially in pregnancy. Exercise was associated with a fall in arterial P(CO2) during pregnancy and postpartum. In goats, as in humans, the increased oxygen demands of pregnancy, during exercise and at rest, are met by an increased cardiac output rather than by increased peripheral oxygen extraction. The individual birth weights of twins, triplets and quadruplets from Pygmy goats who were exercised during late pregnancy were smaller than birth weights of matched newborns from control animals.