Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXV, Issue 2
Written by Hristo HRISTEV, Rumyana IVANOVA
We studied the influence of the temperature-humidity index (THI) on some basic physiological, hematological and blood cell parameters in free-range dairy cows from three cattle farms with different capacity and breeding techniques for a period of one year. Weak to significant variations in the hematological parameters and indices were found in connection with changes in THI. Despite the reported high THI during the light part of the summer days, the animals retain their immune protection: respiration increased by 10-13%, but the heart rate and body temperature remained within the upper reference range, the erythrocytes increased by 7-8%, the leukocytes by 6%, hemoglobin by 10-15% as well as the eosinophils and the monocytes. The values of the blood cell index (BCI), the lymphocyto-granulocyte index (LGI) and the neutrophil-lymphocyte index (NLI) also increased. Almost all studied physiological parameters, blood cell types and indices were dependent on the season and the type of farm - P <0.05 - P <0.001.
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