Effect of Watering Frequencies and Rehydration on Blood Parameters of Indigenous Sheep

Abstract

Small ruminants are an integral part of farming systems in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. These areas are characterized by fluctuating precipitation, water scarcity and unpredictable weather. Irregular rainfall of these areas leads to limited availability of water (Iniguez, 2005). Under water stress conditions, the transfer function of the kidney is altered (Kataria et al., 2007) which consequently increases the levels of urea and creatinine in blood (Igbokwe, 1993 andJaber et al., 2004).Water restriction in warm environment leads to increased haemoglobin level due to haemoconcentration (Li et al., 2000). The study (Casamassima et al., 2008) carried out on water-restricted Comisana sheep revealed a significant increase of some blood metabolites like sodium, creatinine, urea and potassium. In this attempt, the present work was undertaken to investigate the selected