Erythrocyte osmotic fragility and select hematologic variables in postparturient mares and their foals.

This research aimed to understand the changes in blood cell stability and certain blood variables in mares and their foals during the first month after foaling, with the hope of refining current methods for monitoring their health and diagnosing diseases.

Study Objectives

The main objective of the study was to analyze erythrocyte osmotic fragility (EOF) and a few selected hematologic variables in both mares and their newborn foals during their first month after giving birth.

Research Methods

• Blood samples were collected from the mares and their foals every three days starting from the first day postpartum until the 30th day.
• Various factors such as the Red Blood Cell (RBC) count, Hemoglobin (HGB), Hematocrit (HCT), and the Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) were tested, along with the EOF.
• The researchers used a series of analytics methods including two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni post hoc comparison test. These helped to determine the effects of time and age (comparing the mares with the foals).
• They also computed Pearson correlation coefficients to identify any relationship between EOF, time, and the MCV values.

Findings

• The Time factor showed a significant effect on Red Blood Cell (RBC) count, Hemoglobin (HGB), Hematocrit (HCT), and Erythrocyte Osmotic Fragility (EOF).
• When the mares were compared with their foals, there were significant differences in certain aspects such as the Red Blood Cell (RBC) count, Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), and Erythrocyte Osmotic Fragility (EOF) throughout the one-month period immediately after foaling.
• Significant correlations were observed between EOF and both time and MCV for both mares and foals.

Conclusion

Overall, the results from this research significantly enhance our understanding of the changes in blood characteristics in mares and foals during the first month after birth. The findings emphasize the importance of using specific reference intervals when monitoring the health of postparturient mares and their foals. The additional data provided in the study will be of great use to veterinary healthcare professionals in interpreting clinical data and making accurate diagnoses of diseases in mares and foals.