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Journal of equine science2022; 33(4); 55-62; doi: 10.1294/jes.33.55

Effects of packing on the diurnal rhythms of respiratory and heart rates in donkeys during the hot-dry season.

Abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of packing (load carrying) on the diurnal rhythms of respiratory and heart rates in donkeys during the hot-dry season. Twenty 2- to 3-years-old donkeys weighing 93 ± 2.7 kg were divided into two groups to serve as subjects: Group 1 was subjected to packing + trekking, while group 2 was subjected to trekking only. All donkeys trekked 20 km on each experimental day. The procedure was repeated three times at one-day intervals. Thermal environmental parameters were recorded. Respiratory rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) were measured before and immediately (15 min) after the packing and/or trekking period. Continuous recordings of parameters were performed for 27 hr at 3-hr intervals beginning 16 hr after the last packing and/or trekking period. The RR rose significantly (P<0.05) immediately after packing + trekking and trekking only, from 30.15 ± 0.5 and 27.52 ± 0.5 cycles/min before packing + trekking and trekking only, respectively, to 43.78 ± 3.0 and 46.30 ± 1.8 cycles/min after them, respectively. The HR (76.63 ± 4.5 beats/min) in the packing + trekking donkeys was higher (P<0.05) than that of the trekking-only donkeys (62.33 ± 2.7 beats/min). The acrophase and bathyphase of the HR in both groups were recorded during the photophase and scotophase, respectively, with higher values (P<0.05) in the packing + trekking donkeys than in the trekking-only donkeys. The circadian rhythms of RR and HR did not differ between the groups of donkeys. In conclusion, packing + trekking was more stressful to the donkeys, significantly increasing the HR of donkeys subjected to packing + trekking, compared with trekking only.
Publication Date: 2022-12-28 PubMed ID: 36699200PubMed Central: PMC9843161DOI: 10.1294/jes.33.55Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

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The research investigates how carrying loads and trekking under hot and dry conditions affects the daily rhythms of respiratory and heart rates in donkeys. The study finds that both these activities increase the heart rate significantly in donkeys, showcasing additional stress on the animal.

Study Design and Procedure

  • To investigate the physiological effect of load carrying on donkeys, twenty 2-3 year old donkeys with an average weight of 93±2.7 kg were classified into two groups. One group was exposed to both packing and trekking, and the other was subjected to only trekking.
  • All the donkeys were made to trek 20 km each experimental day. They repeated this three times with a gap of a day in between.
  • The corresponding thermal environmental parameters during the experiment were recorded.
  • Before and 15 minutes after the packing/trekking period, measurements of respiratory rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) were taken.
  • For over 27 hours, the researchers continuously recorded these parameters at three-hour intervals, beginning sixteen hours after the last activity period.

Findings

  • There was a significant increase in the respiratory rate of the donkeys just after both packing and trekking. Prior to the activity, the RR was 30.15 ± 0.5 cycles/min for the packing + trekking group and 27.52 ± 0.5 cycles/min for the trekking only group. After completion of the activities, these values went up to 43.78 ± 3.0 and 46.30 ± 1.8 cycles/min respectively.
  • The heart rate also depicted similar increases. The packing + trekking group showed a significantly higher HR (76.63 ± 4.5 beats/min) as compared to the trekking only group (62.33 ± 2.7 beats/min).
  • The peak (acrophase) and lowest (bathyphase) heart rate for both groups were recorded during the photophase and scotophase respectively. Higher values were observed in the packing + trekking group as compared to the trekking-only group.
  • However, the circadian rhythms or daily patterns of the respiratory rate and heart rate did not show any difference between the two groups.

Conclusion

From the data collected, it can be concluded that packing combined with trekking was more stressful for the donkeys when compared with only trekking, as seen by the significantly higher heart rates in the former group. However, the daily rhythm of these rates remained unaffected by the type of activity.

Cite This Article

APA
Ake AS, Ayo JO. (2022). Effects of packing on the diurnal rhythms of respiratory and heart rates in donkeys during the hot-dry season. J Equine Sci, 33(4), 55-62. https://doi.org/10.1294/jes.33.55

Publication

ISSN: 1340-3516
NlmUniqueID: 9503751
Country: Japan
Language: English
Volume: 33
Issue: 4
Pages: 55-62

Researcher Affiliations

Ake, Ayodele Stephen
  • Department of Veterinary Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
Ayo, Joseph Olusegun
  • Department of Veterinary Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

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