Serum biochemistry and heamatology of gravid and non-gravid West African dwarf goats raised in the transitional forest zone
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Date
2022
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Abstract
The hematology and serum biochemical parameters of seventeen (17) healthy West African Dwarf goats (WAD)
consisting of ten (10) gravid and 13 non-gravid does were assessed. The animals weighed between 15 to 25kg with
ages ranging from 18 to 30 months and were managed under a semi-intensive system. The whole uncoagulated
blood and serum were sampled from each of the does. Only the Red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC)
counts among the hematological parameters showed a significant (p<0.05) difference both of which are higher in
the pregnant does (13.93 x 1012/L; 25.27 x 109/L) than in the non-pregnant (9.06 x 1012/L; 16.51 x 109/L. The urea
increased (4.64mg/dL± 0.19 to 4.77mg/dL ± 0.08) significantly (p<0.05) while the calcium decreased (2.56
mmol/dL ±0.07 to 2.49 mmol/dL0.03) significantly (p<0.05) in the pregnant does. No observable significant
differences (p>0.05) were obtained among the other determined biochemical parameters, namely sodium (Na),
potassium (K), Phosphorus (P), bicarbonate (HNO3); Total protein (Tp), Glucose (Glu), Albumin (Alb),
Aspartate Transaminase (AST), Alanine Transaminase (ALT) and Alkaline Phosphate (ALP). These results
conclude that hematological and mineral imbalances are unlikely to occur in normal healthy pregnant WAD goats
when properly managed while the difference in a few parameters recorded in the gravid and non-gravid suggests
the increased activities and nutritional requirement and not the ecological influences.