Respiratory mechanics of a small carnivore: the ferret.
The ferret, Mustela putorius furo, is a small relatively inexpensive carnivore with minimal housing requirements. Measurements were made from anesthetized tracheotomized supine males. Values obtained during tidal breathing for six animals (576 +/- 12 g) were as follows: tidal volume, 6.06 +/- 0.30 ml; respiratory frequency, 26.7 +/- 3.9 breaths min-1; dynamic lung compliance, 2.48 +/- 0.21 ml cmH2O-1; pulmonary resistance, 22.56 +/- 1.61 cmH2O . l-1 . s. Pressure-volume curves from nine ferrets revealed almost infinitely compliant chest walls so that lung and total respiratory system curves were essentially the same. Total lung capacity (TLC, 89 +/- 5 ml) and functional residual capacity (17.8 +/- 2.0 ml) were determined by gas freeing the lungs in vivo. The TLC of these ferrets is about the same as in 2.5-kg rabbits. Maximum expiratory flow-volume curves showed peak flows of 10.1 vital capacities (VC) . s-1 at 75% VC and flows of 8.4 and 5.4 VC . s-1 at 50 and 25% VC.
D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002335:Carnivora / Q000502:physiology*; D005289:Ferrets / Q000502:physiology*; D005652:Functional Residual Capacity; D008170:Lung Compliance; D008176:Lung Volume Measurements; D008297:Male; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation; D012119:Respiration; D014797:Vital Capacity