Comparison of hematological tests results and Haematozoa search performed by different techniques in sports horses and traction horses (cart horses)

Abstract

The blood profile is explored in equine medicine usually in order to find changes that were not detected on clinical examination. Often, the veterinarian is faced with results of blood tests that should be compared with reference values for the specie adapted from the international literature, based on examinations of healthy horses, with standardized climate, nutrition and physical activity. This fact gives rise to doubts as to the true clinical significance of the hematological tests results obtained with horses treated in different regions of Brazil, in different conditions of nutrition and healthiness, performing different physical activities. Likewise, the haematozoa search in horses, often presents conflicting results between the clinical picture presented by the animal and the laboratory result, raising the hypothesis that the hematozoa search technique is responsible for diagnostic failures. Thus, this study aims to compare the values obtained from blood tests, compare the presence of blood parasites and compare different techniques to hematozoa search in sports horses and traction horses (cart horses), taking into account differences such as nutritional characteristics, state of health and type of activity performed. (AU)