Metabolic Disease of Domestic Animals

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METABOLIC DISEASES OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS

Posted by Tuesday, June 2, 2009 Leave A Comment

By: Lok Raj Joshi

IAAS, Nepal

1. HYPOMAGNESAEMIA

This condition is a result of magnesium deficiency in the diet and leads to muscle tetany. It is also known

as Grass Tetany or Grass Staggers. Hypomagnesaemia is commonly seen in animals grazing pastures.

Which have recently received a heavy dressing of nitrogenous or potash fertilizer. It appears to be

associated with a high protein diet and too little fibre.Since,whole milk is not an adequate source of

magnesium ,rapidly growing calves may suffer from this condition.

Symptoms:

Shivering

Convolutions

Violent sensations to touch or sound.

A staggering gait

Treatment:

1. I/V or Subcutaneous injections of magnesium chloride or magnesium sulphate.

Prevention

i. Feeding of magnesium rich supplements.

ii. Magnesium bullets are used.

iii. Top-dressing pasture with calcined magnesite.

iv. Magnesium can also be given in the drinking water.

2. UREA/AMMONIA TOXICITY

Some micro-organisms which inhabit the rumen can synthesize protein from urea.So,urea is substituted

for protein in feedstuffs of ruminants. But increased intake of urea as feed supplement in the diet of

ruminant may cause urea toxicity. Hydrolysis of urea to ammonia in the rumen may occur very rapidly in

the animals receiving excessive amounts of urea. It more ammonia reaches the blood and then the liver

than it can detoxify, then ammonia poisoning will result.
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Symptoms:

Salivation

Excitement

Running and staggering

Jerking of the eye ball

Scouring

Treatment:

Venegar ,dilute acetic acid (5% solution) ma be helpful in reducing the toxicity.

Prevention:

For straw ,urea treatment should be done for 10 days,with a two-day interval before the product is fed

to the livestock.

3. ACIDOSIS

It is also known as lactic-acidosis.

Cause:

It is caused by an increase in lactic acid producing bacteria and the rapid production of lactic acid. It

commonly occurs when there is a sudden shift from a high roughage to a high concentrate ration.

Feeding ruminants on a large quantities of grains containing soluble sugars leads to massive productionof lactic acid in the rumen as a result of fermentation.

Symptoms:

increased pulse and respiration rate

variable rectal temp

sunken eyes

loss of dermal elasticity

come or death

Treatment:

-Feeding high level of antibiotic to suppress lactic acid producing bacteria

-Drenching with a solution of sodium bicarbonate to restore the acid-base balance.


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Prevention:

-Avoid erratic feeding and abrupt ration changes

4. NITRATE POISONING:

Ruminants are the most susceptible to this condition because of the conversion of nitrates in the

rumen.When vegetative part of grain crops following heavy nitrate fertilization, after spraying weed

killer ,following under stress condition such as drought insufficient light are fed to the animals some

nitrate may be formed after forage is stacked, which leads to nitrate poisoning.

Symptoms:

Increased respiration and pulse rate

Frequent urination

Frothing from mouth

Blue color mucous membrane ,muzzle, udder.

Death within 10-12 hours.

Treatment:

- A 4% solution of methylene blue administered by a veterinarian intravenously at the rate of

100cc/500Kg live weight.

Prevention:

Feeding high level of grains

Limiting the amount of nitrate of nitratefeeds.

Ensilaging forages which are high in nitrates.

5.PARAKETOSIS:

It is also known os Greasy skin disease. Mainly swines are affected by this disease.

Cause:

- High calcium level in the diet

- Low zinc level in the diet.

Treatment:

- Zinc sulphate (200gms/ton feed) can be added to the feed.


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Prevention:

- Feeding Ca rich feedstuffs.

6. GOITER:

It is also known as big neck disease and affect all farm animals. It is caused by failure of the body to

obtain sufficient iodine from which the thyroid gland can form thyroxin.

Symptoms:

Reproductive failure

weak offsprings

edema of shoulders and neck

swelling appears below larynx

Prevention:

Feed iodized salt.

7.OSTEOMALACIA:

In this disease the bones become softened as the result of the absorption of the salts they contain. It is

associated with Vit.D deficiency.

Cause:

Inadequate P or Ca

Lack of Vit.D in confined animals.

Incorrect Ca:P ratio

Symptoms:

Depraved appetite

failure to breed regularly

emaciated look

stiffness of joints

fragile bones

low birth weights(due to lack of mineral transfer across the placenta)


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Treatment:

If the disease is far advanced ,treatment is not successful.

Feed a special mineral supplement with sufficient quantities of Ca and P

Prevention:

Increase Ca and P content in the feed

Increase Vit D supplement.

8 . WHITE MOUTH DISEASE

It is also called nutritional muscular dystrophy. It is caused by deficiency of Vit.E and selenium.

Symptoms:

calves stand with a protruded tongue

fighting for breath against severe edema

affected animals show pathological lesions mainly whitish areas in the heart or in other muscles.

Treatment:

Injection of selenium and tocopherol

Prevention:

feeding linseed meal to cow during last two months of pregnancy

Vit.E may be incorporated to the ration.

9 . RICKET

It is a deficiency disease in the young animals characterized by a tendency towards the formation of

enlarged extremities of the long bones, and bending of their shafts.

Cause:

It is an amorphous, essentially ,which may be caused due to the deficiency of either vitamin D or

phosphorus or in some cases both these.

Absence of sunlight is a contributing factor and animals kept in dark building, especially if inadequately

fed are prone to rickets.

Often a diet consisting largely of oatmeal or maize meal, results in rickets.

Symptoms:


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Bone swellings upon the wnds of long bones of the limbs.

Swellings at the point where a rib joins its rid cartilage.

Treatment:

Vitamin D supplement.

10 . MILK FEVER

It is also known as hypocalcemia.Cattle and sheep are mostly affected by this disease. Occasionally goats

have also been found to be suffering.

Cause:

In milking cows, the Ca:P ratio should not exceed 2:1.Deficiency or too much of Ca in the ration can

cause this condition. Low blood calcium and phosphorus level and increase in magnesium concentration

leads to this condition.

Symptoms:

Loss of appetite

Constipation

Head usually turned back

Treatment:

Injection of calcium salt in the form of Calcium chloride.

Remarks:

Contrary to the common name, milk fever, body temperature is not elevated. In fact, a decrease in the

body temperature is very common

11 . KETOSIS:

Ketosis in ruminants is a disease caused by impaired metabolism of carbohydrate and volatile fatty

acids.

During carbohydrate metabolism ketone bodies like acetoacetic acid ,acetone etc. are formed. When

absorption and production of ketone bodies exceeds their use by the animals ,as energy source, blood

ketone level elevates resulting ketosis.

Symptoms:


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Loss of appetite

Decrease in milk production

Firm dry feces

Occasionally pica is seen

Odor of ketone bodies on the breath and in milk.

Treatment:

Glucose precursors may be given orally in the fed to provide a source for gluconeogenesis.

100-500ml of 50% dextrose solution can be given.

Prevention:

At the beginning of the dry period,the cows should not be in a fat condition.

After calving ,the quantity of production ration fed should be stesdily increased as the milk production

increases.

12 . BLOAT

Bloat commonly known as tympanitis of the rumen is a very common condition observed during the

monsoon in cattle, buffaloes,sheep and goat. In this condition the rumen is dilated with gas( CO2 and

CH4).It is generally seen in the animals grazing in pastures in monsoon and eating clovers like

Berseen,Leucerne.

Cause:

It is clear that the soluble carbohydrates of green succulent fodders are easily and rapidly fermented

which lead to a rapid accumulation of VFA ,CO2 , CH4.This is responsible for bloat.

At a symposium organized by Smith Kline and French Laboratories, Dr.Brian Bagnall listed 3 important

causes for bloat:

i. Physical obstruction of the esophagus

ii. Paralysis of the muscular wall of rumen

iii. Foaming of rumen contents.

Symptoms:

The left side of the body between last rib and the hip bone is seen to be swollen.

Breathing is rapid


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Treatment:

Antibiotics can be given to affected animals

With the froathy type of bloat ,punctureing the rumen with a Trocar and Canula is an emergency

treatment.

Prevention:

Bloat Guard can be included in the feed ration.

Regular drenching of anti-foaming substabce.

common practice of preventing bloat on berseen and

Lucerne feeding is to give 1-2 Kg of wheat or paddy straw

Metabolic Disease of Domestic Animals

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