R. Binev1*, V. Marutsova1, V. Radev2

1Department of Internal Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
2Department of Animal Morphology, Physiology and Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria

Abstract. The most common metabolic diseases in small ruminants are peri-parturient hypocalcemia, pregnancy toxemia (ketosis), rumen acidosis and hypomagnesaemia. While pregnancy toxemia is well known medical condition, lactational ketosis is almost unknown in small ruminant practice. A total of 58 dairy goats, up to day 30 of lactation were included in the study. Clinical examination (rectal temperature, heart rate, respiratory rates, rumen contractions and inspection of conjunctival mucous membrane), BCS and determining the values of β-hydroxybutyrate was performed on all goats. Animals were divided into two groups, control one consists of 30 goats (BCS > 2.0 and concentration of β-hydroxybutyrate < 0.8 mmol/l), and second group consists of 28 goats with subclinical lactational ketosis (BCS ≤2.0 and concentration of β-hydroxybutyrate ≥0.8 mmol/l). Blood samples were obtained and analyzed for red blood cell (RBC, Т/l), haemoglobin (HGB, g/l), haematocrit (HCT, l/l), mean corpuscular volume (MCV, fl), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH, pg), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC, g/l), white blood cell counts (WBC, G/l), lymphocytes (LYM, %), monocytes (MON, %), granulocytes (GRA, %), red blood cell distribution width (RDW, %) and red blood cell distribution width absolute (RDWa, fl). From our study, no changes were found in the examined clinical signs. Haematologic analysis showed changes in the quantities of erythrocytes, while the other parameters (HGB, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC, WBC, LYM, MON, GRA, RDW and RDWa) fluctuated around control values.