Blood Profile and Selected Organ Histopathology of Balami Sheep Fed Shea Cake (Vitellaria paradoxa) Meal

Abstract

The blood profile and histology of selected tissues (kidney, lungs, intestine, and epididymis) of Balami Sheep fed Shea Cake meal supplement was investigated. A total of thirty-two (32) sheep of the average weight range of 11.75-14.75kg comprising an equal number (16) of males and females were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments in a completely randomized experimental design with eight sheep per treatment for twelve weeks duration. Treatment 1 (T1) was a control diet and had zero inclusion level of Shea cake meal (SCM), while treatments 2,3, and 4 had 10%,15%, and 20%  inclusion of SCM, respectively. At the twelfth week of the experiment, two blood samples of 5ml each were taken from each animal from the jugular vein. The first set was preserved in Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetic Acid (EDTA) bottle for haematological parameters, while the second samples were preserved without EDTA for serum examination. Representative samples of tissues were randomly selected and slaughtered for gross microscopic examination. There was a significant difference (P<0.05) at various levels of inclusion for parameters investigated. The white blood cell (WBC), Red blood cell (RBC), and Packed cell volume (PCV) recorded the highest values at T3 (15% inclusion level) (13.42 x109/L), 2.92x1012/L, 3.75%, respectively). The serum parameters were significantly(p <0.05)different among the treatments. Total protein ranges from 54.78(mg/dl) (T1) - 60.51(mg/dl) (T2), Cholesterol70.15(mg/dl) (T1) - 78.00(mg/dl) (T4). Iron ranges from 58.15(ug/dl) (T1) - 62.88(ug/dl) (T3).The histopathology of tissues (kidney, lungs, intestine, and epididymis) showed no alteration across the treatments (P= .05) in the gross microscopic examinations. No lesion was observed in the lungs, kidney, epididymis, and intestine. The results showed that shea cake meal posed no health risk to Balami sheep and as such recommended as a good supplement in the diets of the sheep.