| ABSTRACT | Volume 1, Issue 2, Pages 14-21 (April 2015)

Review Article REFERENCE VALUES FOR HAEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF SHEEP: A REVIEW | NseAbasi Nsikak Abasi Etim |. American Journal of Innovative Research and Applied Sciences. 2015; 1(2):14-21. | PDF FULL TEXT |

ABSTRACT   Background: Blood which is a vital special circulatory tissue is composed of cells suspended in a fluid intercellular substance (plasma), with the major function of maintaining homeostasis and growth of animals. Objective: The reference values for haematological parameters of sheep have been examined in this review. Methods: To achieve this goal we analysed all articles published on the subject. Haematological examination has been used as one of the methods in the detection of some changes in health and physiological status, which may not be apparent during physical examination, but which affects the fitness of the animal. Variations in blood parameters have been reported in animals due to several factors such as attitude, management, feeding level, age, sex, coat color, health status, method of blood collection haematological techniques used, diurnal and seasonal variation, ambient temperature and physiological status of the animal. Changes in haematological parameters are of value in assessing the responses of animals to various physiological and disease condition. Reference values reported are subjectively averaged from a variety of sources. There is a great range of values reported. This may be accounted for by variation in age, sex, breed, or strain, sampling techniques and testing methodology. Normal ranges of values indicate that the vital physiological process has been maintained and were normal. Keywords: Blood, haematological components, physiology, sheep.