Effect of Sex, Age and Time of the Day on Vital Parameters of Apparently Healthy West African Dwarf Goats in Abeokuta, Nigeria

Four clinically vital parameters (respiratory rate, pulse rate, heart rate and rectal temperature) were evaluated in 54 apparently healthy West African Dwarf goats both in the morning and evening. The mean (and range) of the values obtained for all goats were: respiratory rate, 25±1.9 (15-30) breaths per minute; pulse rate, 86±6.7 (70-102) pulsations per minute; heart rate, 90±6.7 (72-106) beats per minute and rectal temperature, 39.3±0.3 ℃ (38.0-41.0 ℃). The sex of goats did not significantly (p 0.05) affect any of the four parameters studied. However, all the vital parameters were significantly (p 0.05) higher in kids than in adult goats. The evening values were significantly (p 0.05) higher than those of the morning. The findings in this study suggest that the time of the day and the age of the animal are important factors in the determination of critical points of each of the studied parameters during the process of clinical evaluation.