Abstract
Water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) are reared in many tropical and subtropical countries for meat and milk production and to serve as draught animals. The improvement of milk yield in water buffaloes has been handicapped by the absence of physiological data that may provide means of rapid genetic improvement. Endocrine function is known to vary with lactation intensity. Thyroid hormones seem to have a stimulatory effect on the metabolic rate and, consequently, on the productivity of dairy animals (Lenon & Mixner, 1957; Picha, Pichova & Karasek, 1970; Swanson, 1972). Anderson (1969) also reported an increase in thyroid activity in lactating cows and rats, although other investigators (Johnson & Vanjonack, 1976; Hart et al. 1978; Hart, Bines & Morant, 1979) reported that lactation induced a decline in plasma thyroid hormones. None of these studies performed measurement of plasma thyroid stimulating hormone.
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