Monitoring of Experimentally Induced Hyperlipaemia in Donkeys (Equus asinus)

Abstract

Controlled experiments were conducted to induce hyperlipaemia in donkeys. For this purpose a set of two experiments was designed to study experimentally induced hyperlipaemia in donkeys. In the first experiment two groups of donkeys were subjected to fasting for either 4 or five days. In the second experiment additional stress factor was included which was natural helminth infestation, donkeys were also subjected to fasting for 4 and five days. In the first experiment, 12 male donkeys 4-10 years were housed in the College farm in different pens. Animals were randomly allocated into two groups of equal number. Animals in the two groups were subjected to fasting for 4 and 5 days, respectively. Blood samples were collected several times during three occasions i.e. pre-fasting, fasting and post fasting. Haemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume and RBCs count were evaluated in all animals. Plasma was tested for total proteins, albumin, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol, urea, creatinine, Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity level and Bilirubin. Pulse rate, respiratory rate and rectal temperature were also evaluated. General health of animals and abnormal clinical signs were recorded daily. Withholding feed significantly increased mean plasma urea, AST, bilirubin and creatinine level. Total protein and albumin, decreased significantly in animals subjected to fasting for five days, compared with baseline values. Mean plasma TG and total cholesterol concentrations significantly increased with time in feed-deprived donkeys. In the second experiment also two groups of male donkeys each of six, which were diagnosed and found naturally infested with gastrointestinal nematodes xi before the start of the experiment, were utilized to induce hyperlipaemia in them following fasting for 4 and 5 days coupled with parasitism as additional stress factor.