Haemato-biochemical profile and acid-base status of Croatian spotted goats of different ages

Zvonko Antunović; Ivica Marić; Željka Klir; Vatroslav Šerić; Boro Mioč; Josip Novoselec

doi:10.5194/aab-62-455-2019

Haemato-biochemical profile and acid-base status of Croatian spotted goats of different ages

Arch Anim Breed. 2019 Jul 24;62(2):455-463. doi: 10.5194/aab-62-455-2019. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Zvonko Antunović¹, Ivica Marić², Željka Klir¹, Vatroslav Šerić³, Boro Mioč⁴, Josip Novoselec¹

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, J. J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, V. Preloga 1, 31000 Osijek, Croatia.
² Croatian Agricultural Agency, Ilica 101, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
³ Department of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics, University Hospital Osijek, J. Hutlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia.
⁴ Department of Animal Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska cesta 25, Zagreb, Croatia.

Abstract

The aim of the present research was to determine the haemato-biochemical profile and blood acid-base status of Croatian spotted goats in a traditional Mediterranean production system. The 60 non-gravid female Croatian spotted goats of different ages were included in the research. They were divided into four groups of 15 goats according to age: group I - $\leq 1$ year old; group II - 2-3 years; group III - 3-6 years; and group IV - 7-10 years. Haematological parameters were determined in whole blood, biochemical parameters in serum and acid-base status in plasma by automatic analyser. Total leukocyte number (WBC), haemoglobin (HGB) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in the blood were the highest, while mean haemoglobin concentration in erythrocytes (MCHCs) was the lowest in yearlings compared to other groups. Concentrations of urea, Mg, Cl, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) and lactate were the highest in yearlings. Concentrations of Ca, Na, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and beta hydroxybutyrate (BHB) as well as the activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were higher in older goats compared to yearlings, while the opposite was determined for the activities of creatine kinase (CK) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Values of pH, the strong ion difference (SID), anion gap (AG) and $z$ values as well as the content of ${HCO}_{3}$ and total pressure of carbon dioxide ( ${ctCO}_{2}$ ) were higher in older goats compared to yearlings. The results obtained may help in monitoring the health and nutritional status and improve the management of Croatian spotted goats. Based on the results of the present study, the effect of age needs to be included in the model when preparing the reference values for the haemato-biochemical profile and acid-base status of goats.