Seasonal Variations in the Clinical, Haematological and Biochemical Parameters of Horses in Maiduguri, Nigeria

The clinical, haematological and biochemical parameters of horses may vary according to geographical location.Consequently, this study was undertaken to evaluate the clinical, haematological and biochemical parameters of Horses in Maiduguri, Nigeria.One hundred and sixty horses of both sexes were sampled for this study during the dry and rainy season.They were mainly from stables of the State Royal Palace, Nigeria Police Force, University of Maiduguri and those of Private Ownership within the metropolis.Horses were examined for wounds, various clinical signs or any abnormalities and vital parameters of respiratory rate, pulse rate and rectal temperatures were evaluated.Haematological parameters such as packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, differential leucocytes, red blood cell (RBC), and white blood cell (WBC) counts were determined.The mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) were also calculated.Serum enzyme alkaline phosphatase and serum metabolites of total protein, albumin, direct bilirubin, total bilirubin, creatinine, urea nitrogen and glucose were also evaluated.The findings revealed that there was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) between the temperatures of horses sampled during the dry and rainy seasons but were all within the normal range.The associated clinical signs observed were cough, diarrhea and weakness.The haematological parameters were within the normal range during the two seasons, with the exception of packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin concentration (Hb) which were lower during the dry season.The biochemical parameters were also within the normal range with the exception of albumin and alkaline phosphatase which were lower during the dry season.The haematological, biochemical and vital parameters of horses in this study were within the normal range of reference values and are comparable with others in the world.