Hematologic and biochemical reference intervals for adult Friesian horses from North America.

The research paper outlines the research project that focused on defining breed-specific reference intervals (RI) for monitoring the health of Friesian horses residing in North America. The research discovered that Friesian-specific RI are necessary for certain variables.

Objective and Methods

• The goal of this research was to establish hematologic (blood) and biochemical reference intervals (the normal range of these variables) for Friesian horses that live in North America. This helps in monitoring the health of these horses as localized, breed-specific reference intervals are often lacking.
• The research involved strict guidelines for the selection of reference subjects and for the collection and handling of blood samples. Blood samples from 123 healthy Friesian horses of varied ages and both sexes were used in the project.
• The researchers used the Sysmex XT-2000iV hematology analyzer and the Olympus AU400 biochemistry analyzer at IDEXX Laboratories Inc for complete blood count and biochemistry profiles, respectively.
• The results were then analyzed using Reference Value Advisor software. Nonparamedic RIs with 90% confidence intervals were also determined in accordance to the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology guidelines.

Results

• The research discovered that 30 out of 36 analytes (substances or chemicals which are being investigated) matched the equine reference intervals provided by IDEXX laboratories. This suggests that these can be applied to Friesian horses as well.
• The research suggested Friesian-specific reference intervals (as showing medians) for Red Blood Cell (RBC) count, Hematocrit (HCT) percentage which denotes the proportion of blood volume comprised of red blood cells, Hemoglobin (HGB) count, Lactate Dehydrogenase (an enzyme that helps convert energy from glucose), Direct Bilirubin (a form of bilirubin directly produced in the liver), and Anion Gap (a measure of acid-base balance in the body).

Conclusions

• The research paper concludes that the established reference intervals provide a useful baseline for the assessment of hematologic and biochemical data in Friesian horses, enabling better and more contextual monitoring of their health in North America.