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Gordon A Chalmers, DVM

Gordon A Chalmers,
DVM

Lethbridge,
Alberta, Canada.

E-mail: gachalm@telusplanet.net
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Gordon A Chalmers, DVM

I trained in veterinary medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Toronto, from which I graduated in 1961. I entered private veterinary practice as an assistant to practitioner for about a year, after which I joined the Alberta gov't (Dep't of Agriculture) in its veterinary diagnostic service, conducting post mortem examinations on domestic poultry and other livestock, wildlife, fish and zoo animals.... Click to read more!

Health Articles
» Some Dietary Considerations in Pigeon Racing

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

Now, let's try to translate some of this information so that it has a bit more meaning for fanciers. Firstly, the great majority of fat in the body of the racing pigeon is produced by the liver, from which it is then transported in the bloodstream to depots (also called storage areas), and to red fibers in the muscles, for direct use as a source of energy during flight.

Fat that is present the diet is also absorbed through the intestines and is transported to muscles and depot areas as well. As fat is needed by working muscle, it is mobilized from nearby sources and from these depots, and moved through the bloodstream to the muscles. Preferential use of fat by flight muscles allows for a more efficient liberation of energy during prolonged, strenuous flights such as those of migrating birds, and of racing pigeons.

There is some difference of opinion among fanciers as to whether depot fat is really utilized as a source of fuel. The information I have at this point is that experiments on pigeons at the University of Guelph showed that after a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise, the amount of fat in depots decreased by almost 25%, and that, correspondingly, the amount of fat in the breast muscles increased by about the same amount.

This work also demonstrated that the amount of fat in the bloodstream increased by about 18%, and in the liver, by about 30%. These investigations indicate to me that fat is indeed mobilized from depot areas, transported in the bloodstream, and taken up by the liver and working muscle.

It has been established in other species such as the laboratory rat that depot fat is not static, and that in this species, there is a complete recycling of depot fat every 10 days. Therefore, depot fat seems to be a dynamic system involved in the synthesis, oxidation, storage and release of fats in some species. Despite this general information, it is known that in pigeons, very little synthesis of fat occurs in depot areas.

Click here to continue with Part 4

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3


Gordon A Chalmers, DVM

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