Nutritional/Metabolic Problems in Sheep

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Nutritional/Metabolic Problems in Sheep

• Dr. Dan Morrical
• Iowa State University

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Young Lambs

• Enterotoxemia
• Clostridium perfringens type C
• Symptoms
• Sudden death in 7-21 day old lambs

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Young Lambs....continued

• Prevention
• Booster dams in late gestation
• Vaccinate lambs at 21 days and weaning
• Orphan vaccination
• Maximum colostrum intake
• Misdiagnosed-selenium/Vit. E deficiency

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White Muscle/Stiff Lamb Disease

• Symptoms
• Stiff rear legs and arched back
• Sudden death
• Aspiration Pneumonia
• Poor suckling reflex

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White Muscle/Stiff Lamb Disease...continued

• Cause
• Deficiency of Vit. E and/or Selenium
• Note Selenium is toxic but Vitamin E is not
• it is also cheap
• High grain rations reduce Vit. E
• Newborns only source of E is milk

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Results - Serum E ewes

• Con E-G E-L E-GL
• Pretreatment 1.27 1.26
• Pre-lambing 1.51a 1.91b
• Post-lambinga .93a 1.13b
• Mid-lactation .97a .95a 1.28b 1.37b
• Milk E at 3 days 10.8 15.1
• a,b Row means with different superscripts differ
  (plt.05).

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Results - Serum E lambs

• Con E-G E-L E-GL
• 3d 1.08 1.08
• 28d .41 .38 1.33 1.33

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Goiter

• Symptoms
• Enlarged thyroid
• Poor wool coat at birth
• Low vigor/survival

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Goiter.....continued

• Prevention
• Iodized salt
• Compensate for goitergens (kale, brassicas, etc.)

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Finishing Lambs

• Enterotoxemia/Overeating
• Symptoms
• Best doing lambs
• Uncoordinated movement
• Rapid death

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Finishing Lambs...continued

• Prevention
• Vaccination - toxoid
• Bunk management
• Gradual ration changes
• Antibiotics
• Misdiagnosed-polio and
• Vit. E/Se deficiency, pneumonia

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Urinary Calculi

• Wether lambs and stud rams
• Several types-phosphate, calcium, silica
• Problem-concentrates are low in calcium and high
  
• in phosphorous

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Urinary Calculi...continued

• Prevention
• Water intake
• Salt
• Ammonium chloride or sulfate
• Add calcium to achieve 1.51 ratio to
  phosphorous
• Never add phosphorous

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Polioencephalomacia (brainers)

• Thiamine deficiency
• Prevention
• Maintain rumen health
• Gradual ration changes
• Feed some long fiber
• Sulfur intake

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Copper Toxicosis

• Breed Susceptibility
• Mineral interactions-Mo Su,
• along with high Zn Ca
• Normal copper, low molybdenum

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Copper Toxicosis...continued

• Prevention
• Sheep specific feeds
• No additional copper
• Feed some Mo
• Copper Molybdenum
• are both toxic

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Pregnancy Toxemia

• Cause - Excess fat catabolism and ketone
  accumulation
• Prevention
• Over conditioned ewes
• Increased conc. feeding LG
• Fetal scans
• Pre-lambing shearing

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Pregnancy Toxemia...continued

• Treatment
• Propylene glycol
• Induced parturition
• Severe cases usually do not recover

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Grass Tetany

• Hypomagnesia
• Cause excess potassium
• Lactating ewes on lush, spring pasture
• N fertilization increases risks

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Grass Tetany...continued

• Magnesium oxide in mineral
• poor palatibility.
• Sudden death-confirmation by necropsy
• Stress induced

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Milk Fever

• Ewes vs. Dairy Cows
• Cause
• Calcium deficiency ??
• Stress induced

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Milk Fever...continued

• Late gestation ewes carrying triplets
• Symptoms
• Depressed, lethargic, recumbent
• Treatment
• Calcium gluconate
• Rapid response

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Wool Pulling

• Cause
• Inadequate dry matter intake
• Small particle size, effective fiber
• Low phosphorous intake

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Wool Pulling...continued

• Prevention
• Maximum 50 concentration ration
• Improved feeding technique
• Offer some low quality, long forage
• Evaluate phosphorous level

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Vaginal Prolapses

• Causes
• Overfeeding roughage
• Genetics
• Short docks
• Fat ewes

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Vaginal Prolapses...continued

• Prevention
• Feed higher quality roughage in LG
• Restrict roughage in ration esp. for ewe lambs
• Adequate bunk space
• Prevent obesity in ewes

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Summary

• Common sense eliminates most disorders
• Shepherd mistakes creates a lot of the disorders
• Seek advice if not sure of what you are doing