title: Isotopic water dilution technique in body fluid measurement in some domestic animal species.
abstract: Dilution procedures using tritiated water and Evans blue dye (T 1824) were applied to estimate total body water and plasma volume in small ruminants, pigs and cockerels during the two different seasons in Zimbabwe. The amounts of total body water (TBW) obtained were between 60% to 85% of the body weight in sheep and goats, 40% to 60% in pigs and 63% to 75% in cockerels. TBW values were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the small ruminants than in pigs and observed age differences were significant (P < 0.05) in the small ruminants. There were significant (P < 0.05) seasonal differences in the total body water mean values but nonsignificant (P > 0.05) differences in the plasma volume mean values for the domestic species investigated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preclinical Veterinary Studies, University of Zimbabwe, Harare.
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Makinde
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001826:Body Fluids; D002645:Chickens / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D004395:Dye Dilution Technique; D005260:Female; D006041:Goats / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012756:Sheep / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013552:Swine / Q000033:anatomy & histology*