Determination of the immunological quality of bitch colostrum by refractometry

Abstract

Transfer of immunity in pregnant bitches is inefficient, only 5 to 10% of the antibodies are transferred through the placenta to their offspring. Therefore, newborns are dependent on the transfer of antibodies through colostrum, having a poorly developed immune system. He knows that immediate neonatal diseases represent a great challenge for the veterinarian, since there is a high correlation between canine neonatal mortality and the lower concentration of immunoglobulin in their first days of life. Thus, adequate colostrum intake immediately after delivery of bitches is essential. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of colostrum by digital refractometry (% Brix) in the different pairs of teats of bitches after normal delivery and cesarean section. Ten bitches of different breeds, reproductive ages and varied body characterizations were used, in which the samples were collected in the 24 hours after calving, with females submitted to normal deliveries (n = 4) and cesareans (n = 6). Colostrum samples after normal delivery or cesarean delivery were evaluated by total protein concentration (PT) using the Digital Refractometry (% Brix) technique. Statistical analysis was used ANAVA followed by the Tukey test (P < 0.05). The means of% Brix by digital refractometry of colostrum, collected from bitches that had normal delivery and cesarean were 28.22 ± 1.38 and 27.08 ± 1.65 respectively. No effect of the type of delivery, as well as the type of theta (right x left) on the total protein value evaluated by refractometry was observed. In conclusion, the refractometry method used in this study proved to be practical, low cost and easy to perform and can be easily used. In addition, it was verified that the quality of colostrum in the different pairs of teats of bitches does not present significant differences and does not suffer from the type of delivery.