Histopathological Studies on the Effects of the Bovine Blood-Rumen Content Mixture on Selected Organs of Growing Rabbits

Abstract

A ten-week study was carried out with forty-five (45) rabbits (Dutch x New Zealand white) to investigate the effect of bovine-blood rumen content mixture (BBRCM) on selected organs of growing rabbits. The five diets contained 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% BBRCM respectively. Three rabbits were slaughtered for histopathology from each group at the end of the study. The liver, kidneys and small intestine were used for the histopathological examination. The liver, kidneys and small intestine of rabbits receiving 0 and 10% levels of BBRCM were normal; the small intestine of rabbits fed with 20% BBRCM was also normal. The liver and kidneys of rabbits receiving 20 to 40% BBRCM and the small intestine at 30 to 40% BBRCM showed necrosis and degenerative changes. However, the effects were more severe at 40% BBRCM compared to other levels. Therefore, histopathological findings showed that BBRCM up to 20% level can be included into the diets of growing rabbits without detrimental effect to their health.