Hematological and Biochemical Parameters of Pregnant and Lactating Goats in Rangeland of Cholistan Desert, Bahawalpur, Pakistan

Jattal goats (n=90) of approximately 2-6 years of age being reared in Cholistan desert of Pakistan were studied during January to December, 2015 to examine the alterations in hematochemical parameters of Jattal goats at different reproductive phases while feeding on natural vegetations of desert areas of Cholistan. These were divided into three equal groups (non-pregnant, pregnant and lactating). Blood samples were collected by jugular vein puncture from goats of these three groups. Hematological parameters, white blood cells (WBC), lymphocytes (LYM), monocytes (MON), granulocytes (GRA), red blood cells ( RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit ( HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean cell hemoglobin (MCH), mean cell hemoglobin concentration ( MCHC) and red cell distribution width RDW were recorded. The results obtained revealed that all these parameters were generally lower in non-pregnant goats. The study revealed that significant higher values of hemoglobin (Hb), mean cell hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) were observed in the lactating goats (P