1Department of Public Health and Animal Husbandry, College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Resources, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia
2Department of Physiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology (Biochemistry), College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Resources, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia
3Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt
*Corresponding author: SM El-Bahr; Email: sabryelbahr@hotmail.com
Online published on 12 June, 2014.
Nine sheep were assigned into three groups to evaluate the effect of urea on their hematology and biochemistry. Sheep of first group received water without urea and served as control group whereas sheep of second and third groups received urea in drinking water at 0.1 and 0.2% respectively for four weeks. The present findings revealed that 0.2% of urea caused significant increase in body weight gain compare to control. Significant decrease was also observed in mean values of neutrophil percentage of sheep received 0.2% urea (48.8 ± 4.1) compare to that of sheep received 0.1% urea (67.7 ± 1.0) and control group (63.3 ± 8.2), respectively. Moreover, percentage of lymphocyte of sheep received 0.2% urea was increased significantly (50.7 ± 4.1) compare to that of sheep received 0.1% urea (31.9 ± 1.00) and control group (36.2 ± 8.2). Serum biochemistry indicated that, sheep received 0.1% and 0.2% of urea dissolved in drinking water caused significant increase in the values of glucose (60 ± 1.1; 62 ± 2.1 mg/dl, respectively), ALT (17 ± 1.1; 18 ± 2.1 U/l), AST (105 ± 1.2; 107 ± 2.1 U/l), creatinine (1.5 ± 0.1; 1.6 ± 0.1 mg/dl) and phosphorus (4.1 ± 1.9; 5.2 ± 0.1 mg/dl) compared to control (50 ± 2.1; 14 ± 1.1; 99 ± 2.1; 1.1 ± 0.1 and 2.0 ± 0.2, respectively). The present study concluded that, urea in drinking water improved body weight gain and blood picture in Somali sheep however, liver and kidney function was disturbed.
Urea, sheep, liver function, kidney, minerals, hematology
