Blood constituents of farmed red deer (Cervus elaphus): I. Haematological values

Approximately 100 farmed male and female red deer aged three months and over were blood-sampled and haematological parameters were measured. The deer were sampled by jugular venepuncture without tranquilization. Mean values were haemoglobin (16.0 g/dl), packed cell volume (44.6%), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (35.8 g/dl), total plasma protein (66.0 g/l). fibrinogen (4.8 g/l) and white blood-cell numbers (5.80 x 10(9)/l). Differential white blood-cell counts were neutrophils (53.9%), eosinophils (4.8%), basophils (3.0%), lymphocytes (37.2%) and monocytes (1.1%). There were no significant differences in any parameter measured between sexes or between age groups three to eight months, nine to eighteen months, or older.