Russell L Kelley’s research while affiliated with Cornell University and other places

The effects of long-term athletic training are associated with excessive skeletal muscle turnover attributable to increased rates of myofibrillar protein synthesis and proteolysis, which are mechanisms poorly understood in the athletic dog. A physiologic field study using 44 English pointers and Labrador retrievers that had been purposely bred for bird hunting and retrieving was conducted to examine changes in the ubiquitin-proteasome (UP) pathway, which has been implicated in exercise-induced proteolysis. Muscle biopsy samples were collected from all dogs in September (preseason, pretraining) and February (peak season, peak activity). Western blot analysis was used to assess changes in expression of various components of the UP pathway in the biopsy samples. Citrate synthase and glycogen levels were also measured in a subset of these samples. Results across the population indicated pronounced up-regulation of ubiquitinated conjugates and the p31 regulatory capping subunit during the peak hunting period compared with the preseason period. In contrast, the catalytic core of the proteasome (beta-subunits) showed no apparent up-regulation in response to increased physical activity. Increased physical activity during the hunting season was associated with increased muscle glycogen levels and citrate synthase activity in these dogs. Overall, up-regulation of specific components of the UP pathway was an indication that it plays a role in the proteolytic process associated with skeletal muscle turnover during long-term athletic training, as previously believed.

A study was conducted to evaluate the influence of diet on hunting performance of English pointers during the quail-hunting season in southwest Georgia. Twenty-three trained dogs were assigned to two commercially available diets (i.e., Diet A = Eukanuba Premium Performance Formula, The Iams Company, Lewisburg, OH; Diet B = Diamond Premium Adult Dog Food, Diamond Pet Foods, Meta, MO). Results showed that dogs fed Diet A maintained or gained weight and body condition throughout the hunting season while dogs fed Diet B lost body weight and body condition (P < .05). Dogs fed Diet A demonstrated superior hunting performance (P < .05) compared with those fed Diet B based on total finds per hunt and on the number of birds located per hour of hunting. All blood variables were within normal ranges for adult healthy dogs throughout the season. These results imply that diet can affect the overall performance of hunting dogs and should provide useful information to trainers, handlers, and clinicians who are concerned with promoting the best performance and health in hunting dogs and other canine athletes.

Forty colony bred Beagle puppies from 7 litters were randomly assigned to three treatments (TRT) and monitored for growth and body composition (BC) as determined using DEXA at d 30 of age. The TRT were dam reared (CTL; n = 15), canine milk replacer (MR)-I (n = 14) and MR-II ( n = 11). All puppies were allowed to nurse the dam for 24 h. MR TRT were subsequently fed every 3 h and decreased to 4 feedings/day for the remainder of the study (d 30). While both MR diets met AAFCO requirements for growth, MR-I was formulated with fat and protein sources to more closely reflect bitch milk fatty acid (FAP) and amino acid (AAP) profiles. No differences were detected in intake between the MR puppies, however, puppies fed MR-I had increased average daily gain and gain efficiency than MR-II fed pups (P < .05). Both MR groups had higher (P < .05) daily gains than did the CTL pups, although this is probably due to unlimited intake by the MR TRTs. BC of puppies fed MR-I did not differ from CTL pups in body fat percentage (BF), but was higher (P < .01) in lean tissue (LT) than both CTL and MR-II. Puppies fed MR-II were found to have the highest BF (P < .01) and lowest LT (P < .05). MR formulation more similar to bitch milk in FAP and AAP results in enhanced structural tissue growth indicating an improved nutritional status in neonatal puppies.