Open AccessSEASONAL VARIATION IN THE LEVELS OF SOME CHEMICAL AND HAEMATOLOGICAL COMPONENTS IN THE BLOOD OF WHITE FULANI COWS IN WESTERN NIGERIA
Author(s) -
S K Olusanya
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nigerian journal of animal production
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 0331-2062
DOI - 10.51791/njap.v4i2.2289
Subject(s) - mean corpuscular volume , zoology , white blood cell , biology , mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration , phosphorus , seasonality , veterinary medicine , chemistry , hematocrit , endocrinology , immunology , ecology , medicine , organic chemistry
Haematological and some biochemical determinations were made on the blood of six White Fulani heifers monthly for a period of twelve months in order to investigate any normal seasonal variations in the levels of some of these components. It was found that packed cell volume, haemoglobin and red cell count values were higher during the relatively dry months of the year than the wet months. These changes can possibly be explained by change in the water content of the serum since body water content would decrease with decrease in haemoconcentration. Total leucocyte count, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration and total serum protein tended to increase during the rains and were lower in the dry months, while there were no appreciable seasonal differences observed in the levels of mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, inorganic phosphorus and calcium. However, mean corpuscular volume appeared to increase with increasing age