Transmission of Direct Blood Pressure from Dogs During Obedience Training

Abstract

A method for transmission of direct blood pressure from dogs during obedience training, treadmill exercise and sleep is described. Solid state transducers, 6.5 mm diameter, were implanted in the abdominal aorta of healthy young mongrel dogs. The design of the specialized circuitry required to detect and transmit blood pressure data is presented. Calibration was performed by comparing direct and transmitted data. An obedience training course provided emotional arousal, and for physiological stimuli the animals exercised on a treadmill at various grades and speeds up to exhaustion. Blood pressures taken during natural sleep were defined as basal for each animal. Representative observations are noted to emphasize the practical benefits of advanced biotelemetry in research.