Haematology and serum biochemistry of West African dwarf goats fed Pleurotus tuber-regium treated cassava root sievate based diets

Abstract

The study aimed at determining the effect of Pleurotus tuber-regium treated cassava root sievate based diets on haematology and serum biochemistry of West African dwarf (WAD) goats. Thirty-two WAD goats between six and eight months old were randomly divided into four groups of eight goats each. The groups were randomly assigned to the four experiment diets (T1, T2, T3, and T4) for 90 days in a completely randomized design. At the start of the experiment, packed cell volume (PCV) ranged from 24.90-29.49% and red blood cell (RBC) 9.42 – 10.44 x10 12/L while mean cell haemoglobin significantly (P0<0.5) ranged from 5.44 – 6.41pg. At the end of the experiment, PCV and RBC showed significant differences and were better (p<0.05) in T2. At the start of the experiment, cholesterol ranged from 2.15 – 2.29 mmol/l, creatinine 75.72- 80.32 µmol/l, urea 16.39 – 16.72 mg/dl, total bilirubin, 0.25 – 0.28 µmol/l, total protein 61.73 – 63.16 g/I, globulin 29.08 -29.59 g/I and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 68.62 – 71.06 U/L. At the end of the trial, cholesterol values was significantly (p<0.05) higher in T1. Urea was significantly reduced (p<0.05) in T1. Total protein, globulin and total bilirubin increased (p<0.05) linearly from T1 to T4. AST was improved (p<0.05) at the end of the study. The study revealed that the inclusion of Pleurotus tuber-regium degraded cassava root sievate in the diets of West African Dwarf goats had no deleterious effects on the haematological and serum biochemical parameters of goats and could be included in goat diets up to 60%.