Changes in blood constituents in sheep after thyroidectomy

¹ Biology Laboratory, Hanford Laboratories, General Electric Company, Richland, Washington

Blood values for protein-bound iodine, creatinine, phosphorus, urea nitrogen, cholesterol, calcium, leukocytes, hemoglobin, and hematocrit in surgically thyroidectomized Suffolk sheep were compared with control animals' levels for 1 year. Serum protein-bound iodine values were found to decrease and creatinine to increase immediately after surgical thyroidectomy. Lymphopenia developed during the second postsurgical month, and inorganic phosphorus was elevated during the last part of the experimental period. No significant changes occurred in calcium, hemoglobin, hematocrit, or neutrophil values.