Hematologic, metabolite and hormone responses to
weaning-induced stress in foals of different breeds
Anas Sarwar Qureshi*,Fazeela Yaqoob1
and Heinrich Enbergs2
Department of Anatomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad; 1Department
of Zoology, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan;2Institute of Anatomy, Physiology and Hygiene of
Domestic Animals,Bonn
University, Bonn, Germany.
*Corresponding author:
anas-sarwar@hotmail.com
Abstract
Eighty-four foals of
different breeds (Thoroughbred, Standardbred, German Warmblood), aged 5-6
months, were used in a study to evaluate the effects of weaning, sex, breed on
haematological, metabolic and hormonal parameters. The values of leukocytes,
neutrophils, red blood cells, haemoglobin, packed cell volume, platelets,
activity of g-GT and concentrations of cholesterol, cortisol and
thyroxin rose on day 1 after weaning, while the percentages of eosinophils,
lymphocytes and serum concentration of triglycerides decreased one day following
weaning. These parameters returned to pre-weaning values on day 14 post-weaning
except serum cholesterol, which fell to a significantly lower level on day 14
post-weaning than pre-weaning value. Serum alkaline phosphatase declined
markedly on day 14 post-weaning. The most pronounced rise was observed for
cortisol (51%) and thyroxin (40%) values. Females presented higher mean
corpuscular haemoglobin concentration and cortisol concentration than males
(P<0.05). German Warmblood foals presented a less-altered picture following
weaning as compared with Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds. It is concluded that
foals respond immediately to weaning, which may lead to suppression of the
activities of bone cells i.e., osteoblasts. In addition, serum concentrations of
cortisol and thyroxin influence one another in weanling foals. The Thoroughbred
foals appear to be the most sensitive to weaning.