<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec id="j_jvetres-2023-0009_s_005"><h3>Introduction</h3>
<p>Whippets are traditionally trained to compete in lure coursing. While in humans and horses, training is routinely monitored by special tests, this is not carried out in the training of whippets. The aim of this study was to check if laboratory tests designed for racehorses could be useful in monitoring whippets training for lure coursing.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_jvetres-2023-0009_s_006"><h3>Material and Methods</h3>
<p>Blood samples were taken from 14 whippets at several time points: before exercise (including warm-up), immediately after, 15 min after and 30 min after exercise sessions of straight 400 m runs (T) and coursing (C). Routine haematological values and lactate concentrations (LA) were measured.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_jvetres-2023-0009_s_007"><h3>Results</h3>
<p>White blood cell count, red blood cell count, haemoglobin concentration and haematocrit increased significantly in both types of exertion, and no differences between the types were observed. The LA measured immediately after the run were increased, but there was no significant difference between the types of session (T and C). After both types of activity, LA decreased within 30 min post run by 9–11 mmol/L. Lactate concentrations were significantly higher 30 min after the T sessions than after the C sessions.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_jvetres-2023-0009_s_008"><h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The results confirmed that typical exercise-induced changes occurred in whippets training for lure coursing; however, the scale of changes was different to that in horses. The sampling scheme used in racehorses can be applied to whippets and can be useful as a laboratory tool for monitoring their training.</p></sec>
</abstract>

Introduction
Whippets are traditionally trained to compete in lure coursing. While in humans and horses, training is routinely monitored by special tests, this is not carried out in the training of whippets. The aim of this study was to check if laboratory tests designed for racehorses could be useful in monitoring whippets training for lure coursing.
Material and Methods
Blood samples were taken from 14 whippets at several time points: before exercise (including warm-up), immediately after, 15 min after and 30 min after exercise sessions of straight 400 m runs (T) and coursing (C). Routine haematological values and lactate concentrations (LA) were measured.
Results
White blood cell count, red blood cell count, haemoglobin concentration and haematocrit increased significantly in both types of exertion, and no differences between the types were observed. The LA measured immediately after the run were increased, but there was no significant difference between the types of session (T and C). After both types of activity, LA decreased within 30 min post run by 9–11 mmol/L. Lactate concentrations were significantly higher 30 min after the T sessions than after the C sessions.
Conclusion
The results confirmed that typical exercise-induced changes occurred in whippets training for lure coursing; however, the scale of changes was different to that in horses. The sampling scheme used in racehorses can be applied to whippets and can be useful as a laboratory tool for monitoring their training.

Exercise-induced haematological and blood lactate changes in whippets training for lure coursing

Journal of Veterinary Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Introduction
Whippets are traditionally trained to compete in lure coursing. While in humans and horses, training is routinely monitored by special tests, this...

Blood parameter	Reference interval	Baseline	After T session	Baseline vs T P-value^a	After C session	Baseline vs C value^a P-	T vs C P-value
WBC (g/L)	6.0–16.5	5.4 ± 0.9 (4.1–7.4)	7.8 ± 2.1 (5.1–11.4)	0.002*	7.27 ± 0.94 (5.8–8.6)	<0.001*	0.999
RBC (T/L)	5.5–8.5	7.5 ± 0.9 (4.8–8.3)	8.5 ± 0.5 (7.6–9.7)	0.001*	8.18 ± 0.51 (7.2–9.0)	0.039*	0.149
HGB (mmol/L)	7.5–11.3	11.5 ± 1.4 (7.4–13.0)	12.9 ± 0.7 (11.9–14.6)	0.010*	13.1 ± 0.8 (12.1–14.4)	0.007*	0.482
HCT (L/L)	0.37–0.55	0.54 ± 0.06 (0.35–0.61)	0.62 ± 0.03 (0.57–0.70)	0.001*	0.6 ± 0.03 (0.6–0.7)	0.009*	0.696
PLT (g/L)	200–580	216.4 ± 26.2 (174–281)	243.9 ± 32.8 (193–294)	0.028*	211.4 ± 16.2 (188–242)	0.999	0.002*

	Lactate concentration (mmol/L)		Mean difference ± SD	Immediately after
Type of effort	Immediately after session	30 min after session	(CI 95%)	vs 30 min after, P-value
T session	13.6 ± 3.2 (7.7–18.2)	3.1 ± 0.9 (1.3–5.2)	10.5 ± 2.7 (8.5, 12.6)	<0.001
C session	10.7 ± 3.1 (4.8–15.0)	1.8 ± 1.1 (0.1–3.8)	8.9 ± 3.3 (6.4, 11.5)	<0.001
Mean difference ± SD (CI 95%)	2.9 ± 5.4 (−1.2, 7.1)	1.4 ± 1.1 (0.5, 2.2)
T vs C, P-value	0.2	0.002*

Exercise-induced haematological and blood lactate changes in whippets training for lure coursing

Published Online: Mar 09, 2023

Page range: 139 - 146

Received: Jul 13, 2022

Accepted: Feb 14, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2023-0009

Keywords
exercise physiology, haematology, lactic acid, lure coursing, sighthounds

© 2023 K. Miazga et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 1

Change in haematological measurements after two types of session – training (T) and coursing (C)

Changes in mean lactate concentrations (mmol/L) after two types of session – training (T) and coursing (C)

Exercise-induced haematological and blood lactate changes in whippets training for lure coursing

Published Online: Mar 09, 2023

Page range: 139 - 146

Received: Jul 13, 2022

Accepted: Feb 14, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2023-0009

Keywordsexercise physiology, haematology, lactic acid, lure coursing, sighthounds

© 2023 K. Miazga et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 1

Change in haematological measurements after two types of session – training (T) and coursing (C)

Changes in mean lactate concentrations (mmol/L) after two types of session – training (T) and coursing (C)

Keywords
exercise physiology, haematology, lactic acid, lure coursing, sighthounds