Biochemical reference intervals for homing pigeons in China

Abstract As indicators of diseases, blood biochemical values play a crucial role in clinical practice and assessments of animal’s health condition. The rising population of homing pigeons in China has prompted needs for reliable blood biochemical reference intervals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to establish biochemical reference intervals for homing pigeons. Heparinized whole blood samples obtained from 77 clinically healthy pigeons were analyzed by Zoetis Abaxis VetScan VS2 with One VetScan Avian/Reptilian Profile Plus Rotor. Reference intervals for pigeons were computed by Excel with Reference Value Advisor V2.1. The statistical analysis performed by SPSS program revealed correlations between biochemical analytes. Effects of sex and age, validity of published reference intervals were also discussed. The present results serve as a useful guide to broaden the scope of pigeon breeding industry.