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Effect of racing on blood variables in Standardbred horses
Author(s) -
Bos Astrid,
Compagnie Ellen,
Lindner Arno
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
veterinary clinical pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.537
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1939-165X
pISSN - 0275-6382
DOI - 10.1111/vcp.12666
Subject(s) - hematocrit , creatine kinase , white blood cell , creatinine , lactate dehydrogenase , medicine , hemoglobin , albumin , red blood cell , blood urea nitrogen , complete blood count , endocrinology , chemistry , biochemistry , enzyme
Background Blood is collected for hematologic and biochemical analyses when racehorses perform poorly. However, racing affects most analyte levels; therefore, the timing of blood sampling can affect analyte levels and interpretations. Objective This study aimed to determine if the blood variable levels returned to pre‐racing levels 2 and 3 days post‐racing. Methods Blood was sampled from 17 healthy racehorses pre‐ and post‐racing. The variables measured from plasma were albumin, cholesterol, creatinine, calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), potassium (K), creatine phosphokinase ( CK ), aspartate aminotransferase ( AST ), lactate dehydrogenase ( LDH ), gamma‐glutamyl transferase ( GGT ), and cortisol. Hematocrit ( HCT ), hemoglobin ( HGB ), white blood cell ( WBC ), red blood cell ( RBC ), granulocyte, and lymphocyte counts were analyzed from blood collected in EDTA ‐coated vials. Results Calcium was lower 3 days post‐racing compared with 2 days pre‐racing ( P < 0.01), P and GGT were higher 2 and 3 days post‐racing compared with those at the pre‐racing timepoints ( P ≤ 0.01), and RBC , HCT , and HGB were higher 2 days post‐racing compared with those at the pre‐racing and 3‐day post‐racing time points ( P < 0.01, all). Conclusions A few blood biochemical and hematologic variables were significantly altered 2 and 3 days post‐racing. The level of these changes did not affect the clinicopathologic interpretation of the values.