Induced Ruminal Lactic Acidosis in Sheep Treated with Various Remedial Agents in Libo Kemkem Districts, Northwest Ethiopia

TL;DR

This study tested treatments for grain overload in sheep in Ethiopia and found that digestive powder was most effective for recovery.

Contribution

The study evaluates the efficacy of baking soda, Magnalax, and digestive powder in treating induced lactic acidosis in sheep.

Findings

Digestive powder was the most effective treatment for clinical recovery in acidotic sheep.

All treatments successfully cured grain overload, but digestive powder showed the best systemic recovery.

Acidotic sheep showed significant changes in body temperature, ruminal pH, and hematological variables before treatment.

Abstract

Grain overload is a ruminant metabolic disorder associated with overingestion or a sudden change to rapidly fermentable concentrate feeds.

A randomized clinical trial was carried out in Libo Kemkem districts to investigate vital signs, ruminal fluid, and hematological changes in sheep related to grain overload and to assess the treatment efficacy of various remedial agents in Farta sheep breeds.

All sheep were selected by using the simple random process, and categorized into four groups of eight animals groups I, II, and III in which each sheep was given 80 g of wheat flour per kg of body weight then baking soda, Magnalax, and digestive powder were treated successively, but group IV was the negative control group.

The current clinical trial explained that all acidotic sheep had statistically significant (p < 0.0002) lower body temperature, rumen motility, protozoa activity, and ruminal fluid pH with 38.48 ± 0.20, 0.5 ± 0.89, 6 (75%), and 5.37 ± 0.34 mean value successively. Nevertheless, there were significant (p < 0.0059) increments in hematological variables including total red blood cell, total white blood cell, packed cell volume, and hemoglobin estimation with 14.05 ± 1.27, 12.71 ± 0.99, 40.78 ± 5.24, and 14.78 ± 1.83 mean value, respectively, before treatment in acidotic sheep. There were also vital sign increments including pulse rate, respiratory rate, skin turgor, and capillary refill time with 123.5 ± 27.1, 73.75 ± 12.71, 3 ± 1.78, and 3.37 ± 1.77 mean values, respectively, before medical treatment in acidotic sheep. Digestive powder was the first drug of choice, followed by Magnalax, and baking soda was ranked at the end based on clinical recovery.

The treatment effectiveness illustrated that all treatments could cure the grain overload. Nevertheless, digestive powder is the drug of choice based on the clinical and systemic recovery of the sheep. In addition to this, sheep should be introduced gradually to concentrate rations over 2–3 weeks with a mixture of concentrate in the milled feed containing roughage.

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