REPRODUCTION - Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias

834
REPRODUCTION
In the last many years, the farmers experimented several natural remedies in animal reproduction and developed an
intrinsic and invaluable knowledge from generation to generation. These invaluable practices have been passed from one
generation to another by word to mouth. Various ethno-veterinary practices have also been used in the field for the
treatment of anoestrus in Nili-Ravi buffalo but the effectiveness of these treatments have never been verified scientifically.
There is an urgent need to evaluate the efficacy of these ethno-veterinary treatments. The main objective of this
investigation was, therefore, to determine the effectiveness of various ethno-veterinary practices for the treatments of
anoestrus in Nili-Ravi buffalo and to compare them with hormonal treatment.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The present study was accomplished on 60 Nili-Ravi buffalo with the history of true anoestrus and maintained at Buffalo
Research Institute, Pattoki, District Kasur. To confirm no corpus leutum on ovaries, these buffaloes were examined two
times through rectal palpation at 11 days interval. These animals were divided into four groups (A, B, C, D) comprising
of 15 animals in each group. Group A was given orally 800 grams lens esculents moench daily for three days where as group
B was given orally about 15 grams of randia dumetorum daily for four days. Group C was given a single intra-muscular
injection of GnRH at the dose rate of 100 µg where as group D was given no treatment and served as control. All buffaloes
were kept under similar managemental conditions. Detection of estrus was started after the treatments in each group. All
buffalo were observed for estrus twice daily (0700 and 1800) for approximately 1 h during the experiment. A buffalo was
recorded to have shown estrus if she stood to be mounted by a herd mate.
The blood samples from each buffalo were collected before the start of treatments and after the treatments, samples were
taken after every three days interval from all experimental buffalo for progesterone (P 4 ) estimation.
About 20 ml of blood from each animal was collected in a clean sterilized glass test tube through venipuncture of jugular
vein using a sterile 16 gauge needle. The test tubes containing blood were placed in slanting position for one hour to
let the serum ooze out and was aspirated carefully placed in glass vials, labeled and stored at -20 o C till analysed.
Progesterone was analyzed through ELISA. The data thus collected was analyzed statistically.
Table 1: Mean (±SD) values of progesterone (ng/ml) in anoestrus
Nili-Ravi buffaloes before and after the different treatments.
Values sharing different superscripts in a row differed significantly (P