Biochemical and hematological profile of different breeds of goat maintained under intensive production system

Abstract

The aim of the study was to monitor the health and nutritional status of Kuwaiti's Aradi and exotic Damascus and Barbari goat breeds raised under an intensive system of production through the determination of biochemical parameters and hematology profiles. The study was conducted during the summer season and blood samples were collected from lactating does and Damascus bucks. According to the findings of the present study, concentrations for glucose ranged from 60.75 to 71.76 mg/dl, for blood urea nitrogen (BUN) between 25 and 60 mg/dl, for creatinine between 1.2 and 1.9 mg/dl, for albumin between 3.7 g/dl and 4.05 g/dl, and total protein between 6.0 and 6.98 g/dl and in general were within the normal ranges for goats. The hematology profiles of Damascus bucks showed normal range for the most contents of white blood cells, apart from monocytes (M) %. At the same time, number of red blood cells was within the normal range (11.20-11.90 × 10 6 /µL). However, hematocrit (HCT) % was lower (12.1-14.0) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) content was higher (11.30 fL) compared to values reported for healthy goats in previous studies. The hematology profiles of lactating does of all breeds were within the normal range for white blood cells (8.05-12.88 × 10 3 /µL) and red blood cell (10.44-12.65 × 10 6 /µL). Low hemoglobin levels and a significantly (P<0.05) lower mean platelet volume (MPV), procalcitonin (PCT) and platelet distribution width (PDW) were found in Damascus does compared to the other examined breeds. The data of the present study could serve as reference values, since this is the first time that biochemical and hematological parameters were determined in Aardi, Damascus and Barbari goats managed under an intensive production system in Kuwait. These data can be used in the realistic evaluation and improving the management practices, nutrition, and monitoring health status and diagnosis of diseases.