The Effect of Dehydration on the Control of Panting and Sweating in the Black Bedouin Goat

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Abstract
The black Bedouin goat uses panting and sweating for evaporative heat loss. A common Bedouin management practice involves restriction of water for up to 4 days. This study examined the effect of 4 days of water restriction on evaporative heat loss in animals exposed to a solar heat load. Dehydration resulted in suppression of sweating but enhancement of panting; total evaporation was reduced, and heat was stored. Indirect evidence suggested that metabolic rate was reduced. The elevation in body temperature was associated with a greater increment in arterial blood temperature than in hypothalamic temperature. It was concluded that the greater panting response to a solar heat load in dehydrated animals allowed localized cooling of the brain, while a reduction in total evaporation and metabolic rate assisted in the conservation of body water.