Evaluation of the oral ¹³C-bicarbonate tracer technique for the estimation of CO₂ production and energy expenditure in dogs during rest and physical activity.

For feeding of working dogs during their daily life, illness, routine jobs or sporting activities, an accurate determination of their nutritional requirements is essential to ensure their optimal health and performance. To predict the appropriate guidelines about how to feed dogs, it appears essential to determine the energy expenditure (EE) in a reliable and feasible way. In the present experiment, the non-invasive oral ¹³C-bicarbonate tracer technique (o¹³CT), i.e. collection of breath samples after oral administration of NaH¹³CO₃, was used for the estimation of CO₂ production and EE in dogs. Measurements were conducted during two days of rest, and during three days with 3 h of exercise per day. Average EE was 483 and 876 kJ kg⁻⁰·⁷⁵ d⁻¹ during rest and exercise, respectively. The o¹³CT seems appropriate to use as a minimal restrictive and non-invasive method to obtain reliable estimates of EE in dogs at different activity levels under near natural conditions.