Metabolic evaluation on Sakiz ewes with still and live births without an etiological diagnosis

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the differences in the metabolic status of grazing ewes with live and stillbirth lambs for which no etiological infectious agent could be isolated. Group 1 (live and still birth lambs) and group 2 (live lambs) consisted of 20 multiparous Sakiz ewes. Blood samples were collected two times on the parturition day and the day fifteenth after parturition. In the first sam pling time, triglyceride levels of group 2 were determined significantly (p<0.001) higher than group 1. In the second sampling time, levels of magnesium (p<0.05), total protein (p<0.01), cholesterol (p<0.01), and triglyceride (p<0.05) levels were found significantly higher in group 2 than group 1. However, significant decreases were observed in both calcium and triglyceride levels in group 2 between the two sampling times. The beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) (p<0.05) levels were found significantly higher in the second sampling time than in the first sampling time only in group 1. Unlike the BHBA levels, a significant decrease was determined in both cholesterol and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels (p<0.05) in group 1 as the lactation progressed. Finally, we concluded that the metabolic status of group 2 is better than group 1, and it is important to the evaluation and follow-up of the metabolism in ewes with stillbirth without any etiological diagnosis that couldn’t be determined