A Pilot Study to Assess the Feasibility of a Submaximal Exercise Test to Measure Individual Response to Cardiac Medication in Dogs with Acquired Heart Failure

Abstract

Exercise testing is not commonly used in canine medicine because of several limitations. The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of a treadmill test to measure the exercise capacity of untrained canine cardiac patients and to measure some biological parameters that might reflect the tolerance of dogs with heart failure to submaximal exercise. The exercise capacity of seven dogs with naturally occurring heart failure was evaluated before the institution of cardiac medication and 7 days after the beginning of the study. An additional re-examination was requested after 28 days. The exercise test was performed on a motorized treadmill at three different speeds (0.5 m/s, 1.0 m/s and 1.5 m/s). The following parameters were measured at the end of each stage and after 20 min recovery: heart rate, rectal temperature, glucose, lactate, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase, PvO(2), PvCO(2), pH, haematocrit, bicarbonate, sodium, potassium and chloride. Serum cardiac troponin-I was also measured at the beginning of the test and at the end of the recovery period. Owners' perception reflected the ability of their dogs to exercise on the treadmill. Lactate level increased noticeably with the intensity of the exercise test, and its variation coincided with different exercise tolerance observed by the owners. Heart rate seemed to follow a similar trend in the few dogs presented in sinus rhythm. None of the remaining parameters appeared to be sensitive indicators of activity level in the dogs used in this study. The treadmill exercise test in dogs with acquired heart failure is feasible and might provide useful information for assessing individual response to cardiac medication. Lactate and heart rate seemed to reflect individual levels of exercise tolerance, although further studies are necessary to confirm the reliability and repeatability of this test.

Effect of pimobendan on physical fitness, lactate and echocardiographic parameters in dogs with preclinical mitral valve disease without cardiomegaly

“…This possible positive influence of administering pimobendan was only observed at day 180, however. Ferasin et al observed a coincided decrease in plasma lactate concentration with better exercise tolerance of dogs with acquired heart failure (New York Heart Association (NYHA) classes 2 and 3) [26]. Thus, a lower increase during exercise and lower level of lactate after exercise might indicate a better exercise tolerance and thus a better life-quality of the dogs treated with pimobendan.…”

Clinical use of submaximal treadmill exercise testing and assessments of cardiac biomarkers NT-proBNP and cTnI in dogs with presymptomatic mitral regurgitation

“…Significant mild increases of cTnI have already been reported in healthy dogs after sled races [ 31 – 33 ], where workload was a lot higher than in the submaximal exercise protocol. A slightly increased exercise cTnI was found in dogs with heart failure (CHIEF C) that underwent submaximal ET [ 34 ]. While samples were drawn 3 h post exercise in the present study, Ferasin et al (2007) measured cTnI immediately after exercise.…”

“…Because cTnI has been reported to reach peak serum levels hours after a cardiac event [ 34 , 39 ], it was measured before and 3 hours after the ET. Samples for cTnI and NT-proBNP were stored on ice within seconds after extraction.…”

“…Usually indicating myocardial damage [ 30 ], cTnI also increases after endurance exercise [ 31 – 33 ] and does so even more, when dogs with heart failure undergo ET [ 34 ]. In addition to this, a study in humans found a higher increase of cTnI after exercise in patients with moderate heart failure compared to healthy individuals and patients with mild heart failure [ 6 ].…”

Effect of Moderate Treadmill Exercise on Some Physiological Parameters in Untrained Beagle Dogs

“…the evaluation of these variations it is of the utmost importance to understand which metabolic pathways are involved, and which physiological adaptations are induced by different types of exercise [1]. But although it is important to understand all modifications because they reflect changes in the functions of different systems and in the type of energy utilized [13], few authors have studied the responses during a specific aerobic test [2,5,22]. recently, the effect of a treadmill exercise program on plasma cortisol hormone level and some physiological and hematological parameters have been evaluated in German shepherd dogs [16,17].…”