Efficacy of Vitazal® in foals with anemia syndrome

Abstract

Syndrome of anemia in foals manifests itself in the first weeks of their life, and occurs because of oxygen deficiency and excess of carbon dioxide after birth, and caused by a deficiency of trace minerals (iron, copper, cobalt, zinc, iodine, selenium), cyanocobalamin, and folic acid. For the experiment, we selected two groups of foals (age 20–30 days old) with pale conjunctiva. Animals of the experimental group were injected intramuscularly with Vitazal® 5 ml for 6 days. Foals of the control group received 6 ml of Ferrovet® intramuscularly, again after 10 days. The condition of erythrocytopoiesis was studied before drug administration and 30 days after treatment. It was found that 30 days after the administration of the drug in experimental group animals, the number of red blood cells increased by 31.4% (P < 0.001). In the control group, this indicator did not change significantly and did not differ from the values before the treatment. The hemoglobin content in experimental group foals after treatment significantly increased by 28.9% (P < 0,001). In contrast, 66.7% of animals in the control group showed oligochromemia. A similar trend of changes was noted in the determination of the hematocrit value. Changes were also found in the fractional composition of erythrocytes. In particular, after treatment in foals of both groups, the number of «old» erythrocytes decreased (P < 0.05). At the same time, the number of «mature» populations increased only in experimental group foals (P < 0.001). Regarding «young» erythrocyte populations, their number decreased in experimental animals by 8.3% (P < 0.001). However, in foals treated with Ferrovet® (control group), the proportion of «young» cells was increased after treatment, which apparently indicates the activation of proliferation and increased elimination of immature erythrocytes from the bone marrow. The iron content after the introduction of Vitazal® in foals of experimental group significantly increased by 45.6% and on average 26.8 ± 1.07 μmol/l (P < 0,01). In control animals after treatment, the content of this biometal did not change significantly. FTC values in the experimental group, namely TIBC and UIBC in 30 days after treatment significantly decreased (P < 0,001), while in foals of control group they remained unchanged. Iron metabolism directly depends on its transport form - transferrin protein. Throughout the study period, its content in control and experimental group animals was the same. However, the saturation of transferrin with iron in experimental group animals after the introduction of Vitazal® significantly increased by 19.8% and averaged 40.2 ± 1.26% (P < 0.001). In foals that received Ferrovet®, this indicator did not change 1 month after treatment. Thus, the study found a positive antianemic effect of the drug Vitazal® for anemic syndrome in foals.