Physiological variations and the influence of age and sex on serum biochemical profile of hinnies

Abstract

There is little information about serum biochemistry in hinnies, animals that are usually confused with mules, so this is why specific diagnosis and treatment for these animals are difficult to obtain. Due to this fact, this study had the aim of offering elements to understand and determine references in serum biochemistry parameters specific for hinnies. To achieve this objective, biochemistry parameters from blood samples collected from 33 healthy animals (15 male hinnies with age between 7 and 84 months, and 18 female hinnies with age between 17 days and 84 months), from different farms in Brazil, were evaluated to verify the influence of age and sex of animals on these parameters. The analyzed elements were total protein, albumin, globulin, albumin:globulin (A:G) ratio, cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, creatinine, urea, calcium, phosphorus, calcium-phosphorus ratio (Ca:P), magnesium, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and creatine kinase (CK). Animal's ages had an influence on biochemistry parameters, as the younger animals (≤ 30 months) presented higher levels of phosphorus and higher albumin:globulin ratio. Males and females presented similar serum biochemistry profiles. The results of this study offer elements to determine the serum biochemistry profile of hinnies and have enormous importance for veterinary clinic since this is one of the first researches in this area.

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