Abstract
The study evaluated the seasonal impact of Celtis africana, Searsia lancea, and concentrate supplementation on male Nguni goats’s health based on serum and urine metabolite concentrations. The goats received a basal diet of Eragrostis hay, supplemented with one of the following: i) S. lancea, ii) C. africana, iii) a 1:1 combination of S. lancea and C. africana (SL:CA), or iv) a control diet. The study involved twenty male goats weighing 15 ± 1.6 kg in a 2 x 4 (season x diet) factorial experimental design. There were season x diet interactions on urobilinogen (URO), urine bilirubin (UBIL), urine protein (UPRO), and urine calcium (UCAL). Urobilinogen and UBIL in goats fed the control diet were higher than those on C. africana, S. lancea, and SL:CA during the two seasons (P < 0.05). In the wet season, goats reared on S. lancea had higher (P < 0.05) UPRO than those on the SL:CA diet. Goats on C. africana had higher (P < 0.05) serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) than those on control or SL:CA diet during the dry and wet seasons. There were significant (P < 0.05) diet effects on goats’ serum GGT, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, urea nitrogen, creatinine, cholesterol, glucose, and inorganic phosphate across seasons. Urinalysis showed diet-related kidney dysfunction and imbalanced serum metabolites. It was concluded that C. africana and S. lancea supplementation negatively affected the renal and hepatic health of the goats and should be investigated further.