Search

Background -- Rainbow lorikeets are nectarivorous birds whose natural diet is low in protein and relatively high in free amino acids. Protein metabolisability (PM) of egg white (EW) protein is lower in rainbow lorikeets (6.9%) than whole egg protein in white leghorn roosters (13.9%). Objective -- (1) To determine whether PM of other sources of protein fed to lorikeets is higher than that of EW. (2) To compare the general proteolytic activity (GPA) (pepsin) of the proventriculus of the rainbow lorikeet and a granivorous bird, the domestic chicken, Gallus gallus domesticus L. Design -- (1) Five lorikeets were fed one of three diets, an EW diet, an EW and casein hydrolysate (CH) diet and a commercial "lorikeet and honeyeater" (L/H) feed (Wombaroo Food Products, Glen Osmond, SA). Lorikeets were kept in metabolism cages for 3d for feed intake measurements and excreta collection. Samples were freeze dried and analysed for nitrogen. (2) The GPA of the proventriculus of three lorikeets and three chickens was measured using haemoglobin as a substrate. Outcomes -- (1) The PM (mean ± SD, n = 5) was 4.3 ± 2.6% for the EW diet, 5.6 ± 2.5% for the EW/CH diet and 7.3 ± 3.2% for the L/H feed. The PM for the EW diet was not significantly different from the EW/CH diet and L/H feed (P>0.05). (2) The GPA of the proventriculus of lorikeets at pH 1.0 was significantly lower (P<0.01) than that of the chicken at each incubation period. Conclusions -- (1) The results of the feeding experiments with lorikeets confirm that PM of artificial protein sources is low. (2) The GPA of the proventriculus of lorikeets is lower than that of the chicken. This may contribute to the low PM by lorikeets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background - In Australia, about 40% of pet dogs are overweight (1). High fat diets and obesity affect heart function of dogs (2). In people, exercise has been shown to improve heart function. There is no information on body condition and level of exercise on heart rate in pet dogs. Objective - To determine the effects of body condition and level of exercise on heart rate (HR) of pet dogs carrying out a three-stage exercise test. Design - Owners of dogs in the Melbourne metropolitan area volunteered their pets for the study. The exercise test, carried out over a 21 m circuit of four ramps, consisted of three periods of 2 min exercise followed by 2 min rest. Circuit speeds varied with size: dogs less than 47 cm in height ran at 3, 4 and 5 km/h, those above 47 cm ran at 4, 6 and 8 km/h. A Polar heart rate monitor (Kempele, Finland) was used to record HR at rest, during exercise and during recovery. Body condition was assessed using the Purina body condition system (3). Outcomes - Resting HR of smaller dogs (n=16) was significantly (P<0.05) greater, 135.4 ± 25.7 beats/min (bpm), that of larger dogs, 103.3 ± 20.3 bpm (n=32). Although overweight large dogs (n=20) had a significantly (P<0.05) greater HR (111.8 ± 20.3 bpm) than lean dogs (96.4 ± 18.2, n=28), recovery HR (average HR during recovery as a percentage of HR during exercise) of overweight dogs exercised every day was faster that of lean dogs with limited exercise. Conclusions -- Heart function of pet dogs can be affected by body condition and exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background - In Australia, about 40% of pet dogs are overweight. High fat diets and obesity affect heart function of dogs. In people, exercise has been shown to improve heart function. There is no information on body condition and level of exercise on heart rate in pet dogs. Objective - To determine the effects of body condition and level of exercise on heart rate (HR) of pet dogs carrying out a three-stage exercise test. Design - Owners of dogs in the Melbourne metropolitan area volunteered their pets for the study. The exercise test, carried out over a 21 m circuit of four ramps, consisted of three periods of 2 min exercise followed by 2 min rest. Circuit speeds varied with size: dogs less than 47 cm in height ran at 3, 4 and 5 km/h, those above 47 cm ran at 4, 6 and 8 km/h. A Polar heart rate monitor (Kempele, Finland) was used to record HR at rest, during exercise and during recovery. Body condition was assessed using the Purina body condition system. Outcomes - Resting HR of smaller dogs (n=16) was significantly (P<0.05) greater, 135.4 ± 25.7 beats/min (bpm), that of larger dogs, 103.3 ± 20.3 bpm (n=32). Although overweight large dogs (n=20) had a significantly (P<0.05) greater HR (111.8 ± 20.3 bpm) than lean dogs (96.4 ± 18.2, n=28), recovery HR (average HR during recovery as a percentage of HR during exercise) of overweight dogs exercised every day was faster that of lean dogs with limited exercise. Conclusions - Heart function of pet dogs can be affected by body condition and exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]