Assessment of Short-Term Hematological Changes in Pigeons (Columba livia domestica) with Intravenous Injection of Haloperidol

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate effect of a short-acting neuroleptic (haloperidol) on hematological and biochemical changes in naive racing pigeons (Columba livia domestica). Sixteen numbers of pigeons were allocated to three equal groups (A, B and control). 4 mg/kg haloperidol (HALODIC, Haloperidol Amp. 5mg/ml, Caspian Tamin Ph. Co., Rasht, Iran) was administered intravenously for each bird. Blood sample was taken before injection in control group and 15 and 90 min post injection (MPI) in groups A and B, respectively. Total erythrocyte and total leukocyte counts, hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV) and differential leukocyte counts were determined. Serum biochemical parameters including total protein (TP), albumin and cortisol (CoE) were measured. Results revealed that injections of haloperidol cause specific effect on the number of WBC and RBC, PCV, Hb, MCV as the significant increasing of these parameters were recorded at 15 MPI and decreased thereafter (P<0.05). Heterophil\Lymphocyte index (HLI) was increased significantly after injection and estimated at maximum level at 90 MPI. The mean CoE concentration was increased significantly after injections at 15 and 90 MPI in comparison with control group (P<0.05). No significant differences were found in albumin and TP during experiment. The results obtained support the suitability of using haloperidol in capture operations of pigeons in order to reduce the stress response and prevent its adverse effects. More studies would be advisable to assess the effects of haloperidol in different doses.