Changes in the concentration of plasma proteins in intensively bred ewes

SUMMARY The mean concentration of plasma albumin in 30 Finnish Landrace x Dorset Horn ewes subjected to intensive breeding decreased as the number of pregnancies increased from three to seven; it also changed significantly within a pregnancy. Gamma globulin concentration was not affected by the number of pregnancies but decreased significantly within a pregnancy. Total plasma protein was affected like albumin by the number and stage of pregnancy. Plasma volume increased by 23 % in the latter third of pregnancy.