Camp. Biochem. Physiol. Vol. 86A, No. 4, pp. 649-652, 1987 0300-9629/87 $3.00 + 0.

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Printed in Great Britain 0 1987 Pergamon Journals Ltd

BASIC HAEMATOLOGICAL VALUES IN CARNIVORES-I.

THE CANIDAE, THE HYAENIDAE AND THE URSIDAE
J. POSP~L,* F. KASE? and J. VAHALA*
*East-bohemian Zoological Garden, 54401 Dvdr Krilovi, Czechoslovakia; tCentra1 Laboratory of the
Policlinic, District Institute of National Health, FuEikova 92, 400 01 Osti n.L., Czechoslovakia

(Received 9 June 1986)

Abstract-l. Basic haematological values for 32 animals of four carnivore species are reported.
2. In six adult wolves (Canis lupus) the mean values estimated for the erythrocyte count 7.48 x 10’2/1,
haematocrit 0.465/l, haemoglobin 172.0 g/l and leukocyte counts 7.33 x 109/1are given. For five young
wolves, these parameters were markedly decreased, only the white cell count was raised.
3. In 14 hunting dogs (Lycaon pictur) the mean values estimated are: erythrocyte count 9.15 x 1O’2/1,
haematocrit 0.435/l, haemoglobin 179.2 g/l and leukocytes 12.95 x 109/l.
4. In six striped hyaenas (Hyaena hyaena) the mean estimated values are: erythrocyte count
8.11 x 1012/1,haematocrit 0.445/l, haemoglobin 178.Og/l and leukocytes 13.95 x log/l.
5. Only individual values for the reported parameters are given in the Asiatic black bear (Selenarctos
thibetanus).
6. All results are compared with values derived from the literature for animals under investigation and
for the domestic dog (Canis familiaris).

INTRODUmION to prevent coagulation. The basic haematological par-

Despite the slowly increasing body of data over
recent years, information on the haematology of
exotic animals still remains limited and every new fact
enlarging our knowledge is useful and important.
Therefore, after our studies on basic haematological
values in antelopes (PospiSil et al., 1984a-c) and in
buffaloes (PospiSil et al., 1985) we continued our
work, estimating these parameters in some carnivore
species kept in the Zoological Garden in Dvdr
Kralovi (Czechoslovakia) with the intention of
contributing to a better understanding of this topic.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In all, 32 animals of four species: 11 wolves (Canis lupus),
14 hunting dogs (Lycaon picfus), six striped hyaenas (Hyaena
hyena) and one Asiatic black bear (Selenarctos thibetanus)
were examined, all apparently in good health. The species,
the combination of tranquilizing drugs, the number of
individuals examined, the sex, the point and date of blood
sampling and age are summarized in Table 1.
Blood was sampled into a glass bottle, containing a dried
anticoagulant (a potassium salt of EDTA) and gently mixed
ameters were estimated immediately. A detailed description
of the methods employed was given in our foregoing
communications (PospiSil ef al., 1984a-c).
From individual values obtained for each animal under
investigation, basic statistical data were calculated.
RESULTS
Mean haematological values for 11 wolves, sub-
divided according to age, are summarized in Tables
2 and 3; for the 14 hunting dogs, subdivided accord-
ing to sex, in Table 4, for six striped hyaenas in
Table 5 and for the Asiatic black bear in Table 6.
DISCUSSION
It is difficult to compare present results with those
derived from the literature, because they are influ-
enced by many circumstances, including analytical,
methodological and biological factors and their
mutual interactions, as summarized in previous com-
munications (GSirtner et al., 1980: PospiSil et al.,

Table I. Animals under investigation showing common and scientificnames, sex, number investigated, immobilisation method, point and
date of blood sampling and age
Blood sampling
Name, Immobilisation
common and scientific Sex No. dose per animal (im.) Point Date Age in years
Wolf M 3 Immobilone 0.14.3 ml v. saphena vrrj2, vr1r/1 2, 2, 4
Canis lupus F 3 VII/3 2, 2, >4
M 2 Manually restrained v. saphena VII/2 91 days at the time of
F 3 VII/3 blood sampling
Hunting dog M 6 Ketamine g&l60 mg v. saphena 11/4, VI/l, IX/l I, I, 2, >3, 4, 8.
,Cycoon picfus F 8 Xylazine 70-140 mg II/8 2.2, 2, 2, >5, 25, z-5, >5
Striped hyaena M 2 Ketamine IO&l 30 mg v. saphena VIII/2 age not known
Hyaeno hyaena F 4 Xylazine 100 mg IIJ2, VIII/Z
Asiatic black bear F 1 Immobilone 0.4 ml v. saphena XI/ I II months
Selenarclos rhiberianw

649
650 J. PowiSrL et al.

Table 2. Basic haematological values in the peripheral blood of adult wolves (CaniF /~pu~)-cross breed of a euroasiatic wolf (Canis lupus
lupus) and a black wolf (Canis lupus pambasilew)
Individual values
M F M F F M K SD
____
Erythrocyte count (lO”/l) 6.86 1.66 8.08 8.04 6.90 7.42 7.48 0.54
Haemarocrit (/I) 0.45 0.52 0.53 0.43 0.45 0.41 0.465 0.048
Haemoglobin content (g/l) 149 170 197 177 182 157 172.0 17.4
Mean corpuscular Hb (pg) 21.8 22.2 24.9 22.0 26.4 21.1 23.06 2.01
Mean corpuscular Hb concentration 0.333 0.327 0.372 0.412 0.404 0.383 0.371 0.035
Mean corpuscular volume (fl) 65.6 67.9 65.6 53.5 65.2 55.3 63.85 4.41
Leukocyte count ( 109/1) 5.3 4.0 10.7 10.7 9.0 4.3 7.33 3.15
Differential count
neutrophils/segm. 0.56 0.64 0.55 0.60 0.56 0.56 0.578 0.034
neutrophils/band 0.08 0.02 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.025 0.027
eosinophils 0.14 0.08 0.18 0.11 0.13 0.02 0.103 0.06 I
basonhils 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.005 0.005
monocytes 0.05 0.07 0.03 0.07 0.01 0.06 0.048 0.025
lymphocytes 0.17 0.19 0.22 0.24 0.28 0.34 0.240 0.062

1984d). Moreover, some values in the scarce litera-
ture on basic haematological parameters in captive
exotic mammals are derived from only a small num-
ber of investigated animals. Therefore, mean values
of all animals under investigation given in Table 7 are
complemented with basic haematological data of a
closely related species with sufficient values available,
ie. the domestic dog (Canis familiaris).
For the red blood cell profile it can be seen, that
mean values reported in the present communication
for the wolf, the hunting dog and the hyaena are high
compared with findings given in the literature and
that a good agreement was noted only for the Asiatic
black bear.
A further comparison with values for the domestic
dog demonstrated increased values for all the carni-
vore species under investigation, with the exception
of the Asiatic black bear, the highest being seen in
female hunting dogs. These red blood cell profiles
show increases in some parameters, especially in
erythrocyte counts, compared to male hunting dogs,
but any conclusions concerning sex differences in this
species seem premature because of the small number
of animals investigated.
It must be stressed that increased values may be
due to many factors. For the dog, it was demon-
strated, that the race is of very limited importance
in haematological examination, because values, ob-

Table 3. Basic haematological values in the peripheral blood of young wolves (Canis /upus)-xoss breed of a euroasiatic wolf (Canis lupus
lupus) and a black wolf (Canis lupus pambasile~)
Individual values
M M F F F R SD
-
Erythrocyte count (lO’2/l) 5.64 7.22 5.50 6.48 5.96 6.10 0.70
Haematocrit (/l) 0.32 0.35 0.40 0.33 0.40 0.360 0.038
Haemoglobin content (g/l) 131 147 141 139 142 140.0 5.8
Mean corpuscular Hb (pg) 23.2 20.4 25.6 21.5 23.8 22.9 2.0
Mean corpuscular Hb concentration 0.409 0.420 0.353 0.421 0.355 0.391 0.034
Mean corpuscular volume (8) 56.1 48.5 72.7 50.3 67. I 59.0 10.6
Leukocyte count (lop/l) 15.8 18.5 18.6 15.0 15.8 16.74 I .68
Differential count
neutrophils/segm. 0.51 0.60 0.39 0.59 0.50 0.518 0.084
_
neutronhils/band 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.01 0.014 0.005
eosinophils 0.21 0.09 0.13 0.14 0.17 0.148 0.044
basophils 0.00 0.01 0.02 0.00 0.01 0.008 0.008
monocytes 0.03 0.06 0.05 0.08 0.04 0.052 0.019
lymphocytes 0.23 0.23 0.40 0.17 0.27 0.260 0.086

Table 4. Basic haematological values in the peripheral blood of the hunting dog (Lycaon pictrrs)
Female (N = 8) Male (N = 6)
K SD Min Max K SD Min Max

Erythrocyte count ( 1012/1) 9.86 0.80 8.86 11.24 8.45 1.18 6.48 9.90
Haematocrit (/I) 0.437 0.023 0.40 0.47 0.433 0.047 0.37 0.50
Haemoglobin content (g/l) 185.2 12.3 173 206 173.4 16.9 159 203
Mean corpuscular Hb (pg) 18.56 1.72 14.9 20.4 20.45 2.35 17.3 24.5
Mean corpuscular Hb concentration 0.423 0.017 0.402 0.458 0.403 0.036 0.358 0.436
Mean corpuscular volume (fl) 44.86 3.12 40.9 49.7 50.95 8.20 45. I 67.3
Leukocyte count (lop/I) 13.03 4.67 7.2 19.2 12.88 2.56 8.4 16.2
Differential count
neutrophils/segm. 0.781 0.052 0.69 0.88 0.720 0.115 0.50 0.82
neutrophils/band 0.016 0.005 0.01 0.02 0.021 0.019 0.01 0.06
eosinophils 0.028 0.005 0.01 0.05 0.040 0.029 0.01 0.09
basophils 0.003 0.005 0.00 0.01 0.008 0.016 0.00 0.04
monocytes 0.028 0.012 0.01 0.05 0.036 0.008 0.03 0.05
lymphocytes 0.141 0.053 0.04 0.23 0.156 0.132 0.07 0.41
 Basic haematolo~~l values in carnivores 651

Table 5. Basic haematological values in the peripheral blood of the striped hyaena (ffyaena Iryaeno)
Individual values
F F M M F F K SD
Erythrocyte count (1O’2/l) 8.46 7.36 9.14 6.90 9.62 7.22 8.11 1.12
Haematocrit (/I) 0.42 0.46 0.56 0.42 0.44 0.37 0.445 0.069
Haemoglobin content (g/l) 169 190 215 180 171 142 178.0 24.5
Mean corpuscular Hb (pg) 20.0 25.8 23.6 26.0 17.8 19.7 20.49 6.78
Mean corpuscular Hb concentration 0.402 0.413 0.385 0.428 0.388 0.384 0.400 0.017
Mean corpuscular volume (fl) 49.6 62.5 61.2 60.8 45.7 51.2 55.18 7.21
Leukocyte count (109/1) 13.8 11.5 13.6 11.4 13.6 13.8 13.95 I .90
Differential count
neutrophils/segm. 0.66 0.77 0.55 0.53 0.67 0.66 0.640 0.088
neutrophils/b~d 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.05 0.01 0.015 0.016
e~jnophils 0.02 0.01 0.02 0.01 0.02 0.02 0.016 0.005
basophils 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.000 0.000
monnc”tes 0.03 0.04 0.12 0.06 0.03 0.03 0.051 0.03s
lymphocytes 0.28 0.17 0.30 0.40 0.22 0.28 0.275 0.077

tained in small animals (body mass up to 8 kg) were
not significantly different from those seen in large
animals (more than 27 kg body mass), but inadequate
nourishment and/or unhygienic housing decreased
the basic haematological values (PospiSil and
Komarek, 1958). Also in young wolves, poor
nutrition was regarded as a cause of the lowered red
blood cell count (Seal et al., 1975). Altitude markedly
influenced the red blood cell parameters in dogs
residing for approx. 6 months at 6,000 feet. These
showed a marked rise compared to those of dogs
arriving from various, generally lower altitudes
(Thomas and Kittrell, 1966).
The effect of age was clearly demonstrated by com-
paring the red blood cell profile in adults (Table 2)
Table 6. Basic haematological values in the peripheral blood
of a young female Asiatic black bear (Selenarcros tlriberanus)
Erythrocte count (lO”/l)
Haematocrit (/I)
Haemoglobin content (g/l)
Mean corpuscular Hb (pg)
Mean corpuscular Hb concentration
Mean corpuscular volume (ii)
Leukocyte count (109,‘1)
Differential count
neutrophils/segm.
neutrophils/band
eosinophils
basophils
monocytes
lymphocytes
with young (Table 3) wolves and this observation
agrees with the study of Schalm et al. (1975) who
reported a steady increase in red cell count, hae-
matocrit and haemoglobin content in young dogs
from about 2 months to 1-2 years of age. Seasonal
influence must be taken into account, because in 30
dogs the values under discussion increased in winter
compared with those in May (Thomas and Kittrell,
1966).
Comparing the leukocyte counts in all four species
under investigation with those given in the literature,
a good agreement was seen despite the fact that the
variability in the white cell count is pronounced, with
fluctuations in each individual, caused not only by
many physical, but also by psychological factors. The
only discrepancy which was noted was in the hunting
dog, the values for which were derived from only one
animal and were reported to be very low (Hawkey,
6.32 1975). No important differences were seen comparing
0.43 the obtained leukocyte counts with those derived
147 from the literature for the domestic dog (see Table 7).
23.2
In the differential count, the prevalence of neutro-
0.341
68.0 phils was demonstrated in all four carnivore species.
9.2 Such a finding agrees with the data summarized in
Table 7, not only for all species under investigation.
0.4 1
0.04
but also for the domestic dog. In wolves, an un-
0.19 expected increase in the proportion of eosinophils
0.00 was noted-a detailed parasitological study con-
0.01 firmed an infection with Toxocura canis in all
0.35 animals, probably at the time of blood sampling. On

Table 7. Basic haematological values derived from the Iiteratun in animals under investigation and for the domestic dog (ConiF
familiarir)-author and year of publication
Hawkey, 1975 Seal, DobBnska, PospiSil, Scbahn,
1975 1976 1963 1975
Hunting Striped Black
WoIf dog hyaena bear Domestic dog
Erythroeyte count (lO’s/i) 5.8 7.17 7.4 6.1 5.8 6.2 6.02 6.90 6.9
Haematocrit (/I) 0.42 0.485 0.45 0.44 0.43 0.49 0.43 0.55 0.055
Haemoglobin content (g/l) 150 158 134 152 144 152 147 184 150
Mean corpuscular Hb (pg) 26.0 22.2 18.1 25.7 25.0 - 24.3 26.6 22.8
Mean corpuscular Hb concentration 0.350 0.322 0.297 0.335 0.332 0.310 0.344 0.323 0.330
Mean corpuscular volume (R) 71.5 68.2 60.8 75.7 15.2 77.0 12.1 77.3 70.0
Leukocyte count (IO*/!) 7.6 4.1 16.6 12.3 8.7 11.3 I I .8S 12.0 11.5
Differential count
neutrophils 0.75 0.76 0.78 0.82 0.78 - 0.642 0.635 0.78
eosinophils 0.03 0.035 0.016 0.04 0.04 - 0.025 0.03 1 0.04
basophils 0.00 0.00 0.012 0.00 0.00 - 0.001 0.002 0.00
monocytes 0.04 0.055 0.056 0.04 0.05 - 0.032 0.052 0.056
lymphocytes 0.18 0.15 0.136 0.10 0.12 - 0.30 0.211 0.20
Number of animals examined 3 2 3 4 14 200 60 3M)
652 J.
the other hand, in the Asiatic black bear the possi-
bility of an infection with parasites was discounted
and the reason for the increased eosinophil numbers
is therefore not clear.
Further studies on basic haematological values in
the peripheral blood of other Camivora species are
in progress.
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