Indicators of leukocyte blood formula of horses of different breeds

Abstract

The work highlights the research results of some indicators of the leukocyte blood formula of Hutsul horses and their comparative characteristics with the same indicators of horses of other breeds, of different performance areas, as well as with normative indicators of blood in horse breeding. The research object was directly healthy adult Hutsul horses of the Zakarpattia region, in which blood leukocytes, eosinophils, neutrophils (rod-nuclear, segmental-nuclear), lymphocytes, and monocytes were determined. For comparison, the same average blood values of purebred riding horses, Russian trotters, and New-Alexandrian weight-carrying horses were taken. For research, blood was taken from the horses' jugular vein, and 10 ml of blood was taken. Laboratory studies were conducted according to generally accepted methods. When performing experimental research, all bioethical norms concerning animals were observed, which meet the requirements of the Law of Ukraine No. 3447-4 “On the Protection of Animals from Cruelty Treatment”, the provisions of the European Convention on the Protection of Vertebrate Animals Used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes (Strasbourg, 1986) and the regulation on the use of vertebrate animals for research and other scientific purposes at the Stepan Gzhytskyi National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies Lviv. The number of leukocytes, lymphocytes, eosinophils, rod-nuclear, and segment-nuclear neutrophils has clearly expressed characteristics in horses of different performance areas. All these indicators are within the limits of the norm determined for horses. The obtained data allow us to assert the existence of a connection between the number of leukocytes, the blood leukogram of horses with their work performance, which is related to the intensity of oxidation-reduction processes, as well as the natural resistance of the body of Hutsul horses to diseases. The conducted research provides a basis for the organization of the selection process for the reconstruction of the gene pool of the Hutsul breed with the restoration of its inherent qualities.