engleski

What should be considered when interpretating biochemistry blood results in healthy endurance horses?

Horse athletes, competing in endurance riding, are trained for long-distance races demanding a high level of performance and altered baseline metabolic status. The aim of this study was to investigate possible differences between endurance and healthy horses. For baseline biochemistry parameters of healthy horses the official reference values of the Laboratory of Internal Diseases Clinic, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, were used. Blood samples were obtained from 65 endurance horses on the race day. The horses enrolled in the study successfully finished the race and passed all the mandatory veterinary inspections. All the horses arrived at the event venue on the same day. During transport, as well as before the sampling, the horses had unlimited access to food and water. Venipuncture was performed from the jugular vein after the first veterinary inspection, but prior to the race. Blood was collected using the vacutainer system in 5 ml gel tubes. Once centrifuged, serum was stored in a portable refrigerator and transported to the laboratory. Three muscle damage indicators were analyzed: creatinine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), as well as two kidney perfusion markers: urea and creatinine, Gammaglutamyl transferase (GGT), glucose, triglyceride and cholesterol were analyzed as metabolic status indicators, while sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium for electrolyte evaluation. The obtained results showed that CK [299 (237– 377)] U/L and glucose [5.8 (5.3–6.5)] mmol/L values were above reference limits for healthy horses. Average CK was 130% and average glucose was 16% higher than the upper reference value. An increase in some biochemical markers in serum has already been noted in studies on healthy and trained endurance horses. The results of the present study indicate that the specific equine sport discipline should be considered when interpreting biochemistry blood results, since all sampled animals successfully passed the veterinary inspection and therefore the obtained results were not indicators of disrupted health.

serum biochemistry, endurance, horses

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