Table 3. Comparisons of red and white blood cell index values in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) fed a modified versus baseline diet over 6 months.
| Variable | Month 0 | Month 1 | Month 3 | Month 6 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modified Diet | Baseline Diet | Modified Diet | Baseline Diet | Modified Diet | Baseline Diet | Modified Diet | Baseline Diet | |
| Hemoglobin (g/dl) | 13±1 | 13±1 | 14±1 | 13±1 | 15±1* | 14±1 | 15±1* | 13±1 |
| Hematocrit (%) | 44±5 | 44±3 | 46±3* | 44±3 | 47±2* | 45±2 | 47±2* | 44±2 |
| Red blood cell distribution width (%) | 15±2 | 15±2 | 14±1 | 15±2 | 13±1* | 15±2 | 13±1* | 16±3 |
| Platelets (x109/L) | 90±29 | 79±30 | 103±26* | 80±30 | 101±24 | 86±37 | 95±27 | 80±38 |
| White blood cells (x109/L) | 8.0±2.1 | 6.8±0.9 | 8.0±1.8 | 6.4±1.5 | 8.2±2.6 | 7.0±2.2 | 8.0±2.3 | 7.2±2.1 |
| Red blood cells (x106/L) | 3.0±0.3 | 3.0±0.2 | 3.2±0.2 | 3.0±0.2 | 3.4±0.2* | 3.2±0.2 | 3.3±0.3* | 3.1±0.2 |
| Mean corpuscular volume (fl) | 145±5 | 145±5 | 144±5 | 143±5 | 142±5 | 141±5 | 141±5 | 142±6 |
| Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (pg) | 44±1 | 44±2 | 44±2 | 44±2 | 44±2* | 43±2 | 44±2 | 43±2 |
| MCHC (g/dl) | 31±1 | 30±1 | 31±0.8 | 30±1 | 31±1* | 30±1 | 31±1* | 30±1 |
| Nucleated RBCs (x103/μL) | 1.8±2.9 | 1.4±2.5 | 0.5±0.9* | 1.2±1.5 | 0.2±0.6* | 1.1±1.0 | 0.2±0.5 | 0.7±1.3 |
| Lymphocytes (x103/μL) | 0.77±0.48 | 0.61±0.50 | 0.71±0.41* | 0.51±0.47 | 0.64±0.27 | 0.51±0.34 | 0.73±0.36 | 0.68±0.29 |
| Neutrophils (x103/μL) | 5.8±1.8 | 5.0±1.2 | 5.8±1.7* | 4.6±1.3 | 6.0±2.4 | 5.0±1.6 | 5.8±1.7 | 5.3±1.9 |
| Monocytes (x103/μL) | 0.39±0.28 | 0.23±0.11 | 0.40±0.22 | 0.28±0.16 | 0.42±0.23 | 0.35±0.28 | 0.39±0.31 | 0.28±0.18 |
| Eosinophils (x103/μL) | 1.1 ± 0.6 | 1.0±0.4 | 1.1±0.5 | 1.0±0.5 | 1.1±0.5 | 1.1±0.7 | 1.1±0.4 | 0.9±0.3 |
| Packed cell volume (%) | 38±4 | 38±3 | 41±2* | 39±2 | 42±2* | 40±3 | 42±2* | 39±2 |
*Wilcoxon rank sum P-value ≤ 0.05 compared to Month 0.