SEASONAL VARIATIONS IN THE CALORIC INTAKE OF DOGS LIVING IN AN ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT

The seasonal variations in the average daily caloric intake and body weight of five Husky dogs and five Beagle dogs were measured over twelve and eight-month periods, respectively, during which the average monthly temperature ranged from +17 C to -22 C. The caloric intake of the Huskies rose from a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: DURRER,JOHN L., HANNON,JOHN P.
Other Authors: ARCTIC AEROMEDICAL LAB FORT WAINWRIGHT ALASKA
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1961
Subjects:
CLIMATE
DOGS
EXPOSURE(PHYSIOLOGY)
FOOD
LABORATORY ANIMALS
TEMPERATURE
Arctic
Huskies
Online Access:http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0278527
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0278527
Description
Summary:The seasonal variations in the average daily caloric intake and body weight of five Husky dogs and five Beagle dogs were measured over twelve and eight-month periods, respectively, during which the average monthly temperature ranged from +17 C to -22 C. The caloric intake of the Huskies rose from a midsummer low of 49 Cal./day to a November high of 87 Cal./day. Mid- and late winter values averaged about 79 Cal./day. During late winter there was no relationship between the day to day temperature and caloric intake. In the Beagles, acute and later chronic exposure to cold in March caused a marked increase (80 to 131 Cal./day) in caloric intake. They, like the Huskies, tended toward inimum values (85 Cal./day) during the summer. With the onset of winter the Beagles increased their intake to a high of 144 Cal./day in November. Over-all, these data showed that the relative magnitude of the seasonal changes were quite similar in both groups of dogs and suggested that seasonal changes in insulation are supplementary to seasonal changes in caloric intake. (Author)

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