Influence of the Oral Administration of Fish Oil on Hematological and Biochemical Performance in Local Male Rabbits

In some developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, rapid population growth is a complicated problem, and thus, it is necessary to raise the efficiency of foodstuff production to preserve human life. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the effect of fish oil supplementation on male rabbits’ productivity, as well as their biochemical and physiological characteristics. This experiment was conducted in the Animal House of the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Baghdad (Baghdad, Iraq) for eight weeks. Twenty-four local male rabbits were randomly divided into three groups (each containing eight rabbits) as follows: the control group that was fed with a basal diet only, the first treated group in which each animal received fish oil orally at a dose of 0.75 ml every day, and another treated group in which each animal received fish oil orally at a dose of 1.5 ml every day. Both treated groups received the treatment for 60 days. Blood samples were collected from cardiac veins by cardiac puncture at the beginning of the experiment (Zero time). On day 60 of the experiment, samples were collected again to analyze potential changes in blood characteristics, including white blood cells count, hemoglobin, and red blood cells count. These blood samples recorded a significant decrease in cholesterol in the two treatment groups, compared to the control. In conclusion, the current findings recommend daily oral administration of fish oil at a dose of 0.75 mg/ml or 1.5 mg/ml to rabbits for 60 days before conception to improve performance trials, as well as biochemical and hematological results. These alterations, however, have a small impact on these features, compared to higher doses administered to rabbits.