Comparative Haematological and Serum Biochemical Alterations in Buffaloes, Cattle, Sheep, and Goats Naturally Infected with Hemoparasites and Gastrointestinal Parasites

Haematological, serum chemical, and faecal analyses are used as basic tools for livestock health monitoring in the practice of bovine medicine, where deviations from normal values help evaluate the status of well-being, disease pathogenesis, confirm diagnosis, and pave the way for further research and treatment. This investigation examined blood, serum biochemistry, and faecal parameters for the assessment of health status in livestock in seven tehsils (Babuzai, Matta, KhwazaKhela, Barikot, Kabal, Charbagh, and Sri Bahrain) of Swat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province, Pakistan. This study was conducted from August 2024 to September 2025; blood and serum samples were collected from 200 animals (50 buffaloes, cows, sheep, and goats each) with pyrexia and anorexia, which will help document a comprehensive field-based livestock profile of local areas. Statistical analysis was performed using a Picco II chemistry analyzer and an Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. microscope (Nikon Eclipse E100). Prism 9.5.0, Visual Studio Code 1.106, Python 3.14.0, and Microsoft Office 2021 were utilized for the analysis. The Mann-Whitney test, with a significance level lower than 0.05, was used for the comparisons of groups, and a simple percentage is used for the representation of the descriptive statistics.The average hemoglobin content was found to be between 3.0 and 15.0 g/dL in buffaloes, 3.0 and 9.1 g/dL in cows, 2.0 and 14.9 g/dL in sheep, and 2.1 and 13.2 g/dL in goats in our field study respectively. The average total leukocyte count per cubic milliliter of blood was found to be in buffaloes (3000–7700), cows (3100–7520), sheep (3100–7520), and goats (3200 7700) per cmm respectively. We calculated the average differential leukocyte count based on count volume percentages. The differential leukocyte counts for buffaloes ranged from 39% to 1 56%, in cows ranged from 40% to 56%; in sheep ranged from 40% to 56%; and in goats ranged from 38% to 54% respectively. Buffaloes, cows, sheep and goats had the smallest numbers of peripheral monocytes (2, 1, 1 and 1%), yet also represented the largest number of monocytes (5, 5, 5 and 5%) based on entire cell volume percentages. The minimum percent eosinophil in buffaloes was 6%; for cows it was 10%; for sheep it was 7%; and for goats it was 5%; while the maximum values recorded for each were 31%, 27%, 32% and 29%. Nearly all animals showed basophil percentages of 0%; however, the study resulted more than the average for all four classes at maximum values of: 1%, 1%, 1%, and 1% for buffaloes, cows, sheep, and goats. Our research on blood serum further revealed the lowest Alanine Aminotransferase (U/L) values of 20, 27, 22, 18 U/L and the highest values of 71, 63, 73 and 68 U/L for buffaloes, cows, sheep and goats, respectively. We further found the minimum values for alkaline phosphatase (U/L) to be 48, 50, 45, 42 U/L while the highest values were recorded to be 136, 127, 138 and 132 U/L for buffaloes, cows, sheep and goats, respectively. The lowest bilirubin values were recorded to be 1.5, 1.6, 1.6, and 1.4 mg/dL and the highest values of 3.2, 3.1, 3.1, and 3.0 mg/dL for buffaloes, cows, sheep and goats. In our laboratory analysis of cholesterol, we found the lowest values of 90, 92, 90, and 88 mg/dL, and the highest values of 140, 142, 142, and 140 mg/dL for buffaloes, cows, sheep and goats respectively. The lowest levels of glucose were 48 mg/dL for buffaloes, 50 mg/dL for cows, 51 mg/dL for sheep, and 47 mg/dL for goats; the highest values were 78 mg/dL for buffaloes, 79 mg/dL for cows, 79 mg/dL for sheep, and 77 mg/dL for goats. The lowest calcium levels were 8.0 mg/dL for buffaloes, 8.1 mg/dL for cows, 8.0 mg/dL for sheep, and 7.8 mg/dL for goats; the highest calcium values were 10.3 mg/dL for buffaloes, 10.2 mg/dL for cows, 10.2 mg/dL for sheep, and 10.2 mg/dL for goats. In our study the blood and fecal samples tested positive for parasites for each animal. In summary, sheep showed the strongest resistance against gastrointestinal (Ostertagia) and hemoprotozoan infections. Cows, however, exhibited the least fluctuation in blood biochemical markers in response to both fecal and blood parasites, according to group-wise comparisons.