QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE STUDY OF ERYTHROCYTE ABNORMALITIES IN DAIRY COWS ACCORDING TO GESTATIONAL STATUS AND PARITY

This study was conducted in the Tiaret region of Algeria.It involved 50 healthy local crossbred cows, aged between one and ten years.The experiment was conducted during the first half of 2025.Blood smears were prepared to determine the frequency of erythrocyte abnormalities according to parity and gestational status.The results show that 40% of anomalies are present in non-pregnant cows and 28% in pregnant cows.According to parity, anomalies are predominant in nulliparous cows.Regarding the types of anomalies, shape anomalies are the most abundant in nonpregnant cows (70%) and in nulliparous cows (65%), followed by size anomalies.For shape anomalies, acanthocytes are the most common in non-pregnant cows (35%).While anisocytes are present in all blood smears with size anomalies.This study reveals that staining and intra-erythrocyte inclusion anomalies are very rare.These results therefore highlight the influence of gestational status and parity on the erythrocyte profile of cows and underline the importance of blood monitoring to improve their health and productivity.