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The evaluation of thermoregulation in homeothermic animals is important for their health assessment. Body temperature is influenced by the circadian rhythm, which, through certain signals, is regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Temperature is collected by various methods; to reduce the invasiveness of rectal temperature sampling, considered the most accurate, infrared thermography has been used. The aim of the present review was to describe the circadian variability of average body temperature in several domestic animal species. In addition to variations due to the circadian rhythm, a number of conditions that can influence body temperature have also been studied. One example of this is exercise, which occurs in the case of domestic animals such as horses, dogs, and donkeys. In particular, it has been analysed in athletic horses, where, following intense exercise, the circadian rhythm of temperature is altered. The daily temperature variation during pregnancy and the neonatal period was also analysed. The circadian rhythm of temperature is influenced by the gestational period of sheep and goats, but this is affected differently depending on the type of species. The same is true for the neonatal period, in kids, lambs, and cattle, where the circadian rhythm is established at different times.

This study aimed to assess the effect of exercise on serum electrophoretic protein pattern, C-reactive protein (CRP) and platelet aggregation in horses subjected to a jumping exercise. The possible relationship between acute-phase reactions and platelet reactivity in the context of exercise was investigated. Blood samples were collected from 10 jumper horses at rest (TREST), within 5 min from the end of exercise (TPE5), and 30 min (TPE30) and 60 min after exercise (TPE60). The serum values of total proteins; CRP; albumin; α1-, α-2, β1-, β2- and γ-globulins; and the maximum degree of aggregation and the initial velocity of aggregation (slope) were evaluated. According to one-way analysis of variance, CRP and α1-, α-2, β1- and β2-globulins increased after exercise compared with rest condition (p < 0.001), whereas albumin and platelet aggregation showed lower values after exercise than at rest (p < 0.001). CRP and α1-globulin values were negatively correlated with both platelet aggregation indices at TPE5, whereas no significant correlation among these parameters was found at TREST, TPE30 and TPE60. This study provides evidence that an acute-phase response occurred in horses after the jumping exercise and suggests a linkage between the inflammatory status and the platelet responsiveness in horses during exercise.

Blood cells are constantly exposed to several pollutants, including xenobiotics, and they can be considered a useful target for pollution exposition of the animal. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two xenobiotics (Quaternium-15, a preservative used in personal care products, and Thiacloprid, a neonicotinoid pesticide) on the haematological profile and erythrocyte osmotic fragility (EOF) of equine and bovine blood samples. Ten blood samples from horses and cows were exposed for 24 h to Quaternium-15 at a concentration of 0.1 and 1 mg/L and to Thiacloprid at a concentration of 30 and 60 µg/mL. A decrease in the values of the red blood cells, white blood cells, haematocrit, haemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, and platelets, and an increase of EOF were found in blood samples exposed to xenobiotics compared to the control. According to the results gathered in the current study, the two xenobiotic compounds herein tested negatively affect the haematological indices causing haemolysis both in cattle and horse blood. This study, despite being preliminary, emphasizes the concept that blood cells are an excellent target for evaluating the effects of xenobiotics.