Biological traits of sled dogs of different breeds

Abstract

Relevance. Recently interest in Siberian and Alaskan huskies has led to a sharp increase in their population, which has led to the relevance of the work carried out. The purpose of the research was to study and evaluate the biological characteristics of sled dogs of different breeds. Methods. The biological traits of sled dogs of Siberian and Alaskan Husky breeds have been carried out with using modern hematological and statistical research methods. Results. The dynamics of hematological indicators in dogs of different breeds before and after exercise has been established. The exercise affected the content of red blood cells — in both groups their decrease occurred (by 7.3 and 11.7%), a similar dynamics has been observed in the level of hemoglobin. The content of white blood cells in both groups, on the contrary, has been increased after exercise. Exercises during the race led to a slight change in the concentration of platelets in the blood of dogs: in Siberian huskies their content has been decreased, while in the group of Alaskan huskies has been increased. The adaptation coefficient of Siberian husky dogs was 4.4 and was higher than in Alaskan huskies by 0.6 or 13.6% (P > 0.999). The heat tolerance index for Siberian huskies was 79.0 and was higher than for Alaskan huskiesb y 8.0 or 11.3% (P > 0.99).