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Research Article


Effect of probiotic and herbal complex supplementation on health status, mineral composition, and bone morphometric characteristics of fattening lambs

Kameliya Zhelyazkova, Radina Vasileva, Lazarin Lazarov, Nikolay Ivanov, Ivan Slavov, Natalya Miteva, Ivelina Alexandrova, Stayka Laleva.


Abstract
Background:
The health of animals during fattening is essential. Various studies have been used to track how different additives affect health. Computed tomography (CT) is a more in-depth method for tracking the impact of food additives.

Aim:
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary probiotic and herbal complex supplementation on the health, bone mineral composition, and morphometric characteristics of fattening lambs of the Bulgarian Dairy Synthetic Population (BDSP) breed.

Methods:
The experiment included 36 lambs in 3 groups of 12 animals. The control group (K) received a standard compound pellet; the first experimental group (O1) received the same feed and an oral supplement of 50 ml Zoovit LL probiotic/animal/day; and the second experimental group (O2) was fed a compound pellet supplemented with 6% herbal mixture (milk thistle, sage, thyme, elderberry, nettle, and chamomile). The experiment was continued until an average live weight of 25±2 kg over a period of 44 days. Blood biochemical parameters were determined at the beginning, middle, and end of the experiment using a Seamaly SMT-120 VP automated blood sample analyzer. Computed tomography scans of the humeral bones were performed using a 32-slice CT scanner. The Ca, Mg, and P contents of the sternum bone was analyzed by coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for mineral quantitation.

Results:
The analysis of the time course of blood parameters in the three groups throughout the experiment showed statistically significant differences in serum ALP and PHOS. Serum ALP activities were significantly lower in the middle of the experimental period in the group receiving the probiotic supplement than in the control. In the herbal mixture group, significantly lower serum PHOS values were determined at the end of the experiment. For the cranial cortex (CrCT), a statistically significantly lower radiodensity was demonstrated in the herbal complex group compared with the control group.

Conclusion:
Dietary supplementation of fattening lambs with probiotics and herbal complexes had no prolonged effect on bone mineral balance.

Key words: Lambs; Computed tomography analysis; Macrominerals; Skeletal development; Serum biochemical parameters.


 
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How to Cite this Article
Pubmed Style

Zhelyazkova K, Vasileva R, Lazarov L, Ivanov N, Slavov I, Miteva N, Alexandrova I, Laleva S. Effect of probiotic and herbal complex supplementation on health status, mineral composition, and bone morphometric characteristics of fattening lambs. Open Vet. J.. 2026; 16(3): 1734-1742. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i3.31

Web Style

Zhelyazkova K, Vasileva R, Lazarov L, Ivanov N, Slavov I, Miteva N, Alexandrova I, Laleva S. Effect of probiotic and herbal complex supplementation on health status, mineral composition, and bone morphometric characteristics of fattening lambs. https://www.openveterinaryjournal.com/?mno=306610 [Access: March 31, 2026]. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i3.31

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Zhelyazkova K, Vasileva R, Lazarov L, Ivanov N, Slavov I, Miteva N, Alexandrova I, Laleva S. Effect of probiotic and herbal complex supplementation on health status, mineral composition, and bone morphometric characteristics of fattening lambs. Open Vet. J.. 2026; 16(3): 1734-1742. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i3.31


Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Zhelyazkova K, Vasileva R, Lazarov L, Ivanov N, Slavov I, Miteva N, Alexandrova I, Laleva S. Effect of probiotic and herbal complex supplementation on health status, mineral composition, and bone morphometric characteristics of fattening lambs. Open Vet. J.. (2026), [cited March 31, 2026]; 16(3): 1734-1742. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i3.31


Harvard Style

Zhelyazkova, K., Vasileva, . R., Lazarov, . L., Ivanov, . N., Slavov, . I., Miteva, . N., Alexandrova, . I. & Laleva, . S. (2026) Effect of probiotic and herbal complex supplementation on health status, mineral composition, and bone morphometric characteristics of fattening lambs. Open Vet. J., 16 (3), 1734-1742. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i3.31


Turabian Style

Zhelyazkova, Kameliya, Radina Vasileva, Lazarin Lazarov, Nikolay Ivanov, Ivan Slavov, Natalya Miteva, Ivelina Alexandrova, and Stayka Laleva. 2026. Effect of probiotic and herbal complex supplementation on health status, mineral composition, and bone morphometric characteristics of fattening lambs. Open Veterinary Journal, 16 (3), 1734-1742. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i3.31


Chicago Style

Zhelyazkova, Kameliya, Radina Vasileva, Lazarin Lazarov, Nikolay Ivanov, Ivan Slavov, Natalya Miteva, Ivelina Alexandrova, and Stayka Laleva. "Effect of probiotic and herbal complex supplementation on health status, mineral composition, and bone morphometric characteristics of fattening lambs." Open Veterinary Journal 16 (2026), 1734-1742. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i3.31


MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Zhelyazkova, Kameliya, Radina Vasileva, Lazarin Lazarov, Nikolay Ivanov, Ivan Slavov, Natalya Miteva, Ivelina Alexandrova, and Stayka Laleva. "Effect of probiotic and herbal complex supplementation on health status, mineral composition, and bone morphometric characteristics of fattening lambs." Open Veterinary Journal 16.3 (2026), 1734-1742. Print. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i3.31


APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Zhelyazkova, K., Vasileva, . R., Lazarov, . L., Ivanov, . N., Slavov, . I., Miteva, . N., Alexandrova, . I. & Laleva, . S. (2026) Effect of probiotic and herbal complex supplementation on health status, mineral composition, and bone morphometric characteristics of fattening lambs. Open Veterinary Journal, 16 (3), 1734-1742. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i3.31


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