ABSTRACT:
This research was performed by a multidisciplinary and interagency team and sought to determine the blood profile, total plasma protein and fibrinogen concentrations of clinically healthy adult Campeiro horses. A total of 138 horses (14 stallions, 74 non-pregnant and 50 pregnant mares) over three years of age from breeders located in the states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul were divided into groups according to age, sex and pregnancy status. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using the ANOVA test, Student's T test, and descriptive analyses (P<0.05). There was a significant difference (P<0.05) in the values for MCV, MCH, and total number of eosinophiles when comparing different age groups. There was also a notable difference (P<0.05) in the total plasma protein and total number of eosinophile variables when comparing pregnant females to non-pregnant females. These results show that the Campeiro breed presents certain peculiarities regarding variables in the complete blood count, total plasma protein and fibrinogen compared to the values described by other authors for other breeds. Thus, it is suggested that the values established in this study should be used as benchmarks for interpreting erythrocyte and leukocyte counts when evaluating these variables in Campeiro horses.
Key words:
campeiro; horses; CBC; total plasma protein
