Oxygen consumption in treadmill-exercised Yucatan miniature swine

Oxygen consumption was measured in Yucatan miniature swine during various intensities of treadmill exercise. Nine animals were evaluated at rest and at various treadmill velocities ranging from 2.5-4.5 mph. Oxygen consumption was linearly related to treadmill speed during sub-maximal exercise work loads (r = 0.92, P less than 0.01). Maximal oxygen consumption was also determined in two groups of animals. In one group (N = 6) the highest attainable oxygen consumption was 24.0 +/- 1.31 ml . min-1 . kg-1. In the second group (N = 9) an electric prod was utilized to encourage the animals to run. Their maximal oxygen consumptions ranged from 33.9-51.1 ml . min-1 . kg-1 with a mean of 41.7 +/- 1.8 ml . min-1 . kg-1. These data indicated that Yucatan swine have a relatively low aerobic capacity compared to the rat or dog, but their oxygen consumptions are similar to that observed in untrained man.