CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
In Nigeria, like anywhere else, donkey (Equus asinus) has been used as a work animal mainly for transportation; conveying farm produce to the market or pulling of carts and other farm tillage equipment (Starkey and Starkey, 2004; Blench et al., 2004; Hassan et al., 2013) and of recently for production of milk for children, who are allergic to bovine milk (Carrocio et al., 2000; Caldin et al., 2005; Mansueto et al., 2013), and in animal assisted therapy and activity in humans (Borioni et al., 2012). However, donkey production is constrained by many production factors such as poor nutrition, disease, poor genetic potential, management and harsh environmental factors (Ademosum, 1994; Yilma et al., 1997; Simenew et al., 2011). Of all the factors, poor nutrition and disease conditions are rampant with significant impact on the performance of animals (Ademosum, 1994; Crane, 1997). Donkeys are known to survive with little management. Their body conditions may fluctuate during the year as feed supply fluctuates resulting in poor body condition, weight loss and delay in resumption of ovarian cycles after parturition (Pearson et al., 1999).
The low productivity of livestock on pasture-based extensive grazing systems needs to be improved, and this entails an evaluation of their nutritional status. The assessment of nutritional and health status of animals can be made by determining the concentrations of certain blood metabolite such as non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), glucose and cholesterol (Ndlovu et al., 2007). Their concentrations indicate the extent of the metabolism of energy, proteins and other nutrients in the animals (Pambu-Gollah et al., 2000; Agenas et al., 2006). Changes in the concentration of circulating nutrient-sensitive metabolites are important signals of the metabolic status of the animal and the organs function (Lindsay et al., 1993; Wettemann et al., 2003).
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