Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Feb 15;11(2):501.
doi: 10.3390/ani11020501.

Nutritional Wasting Disorders in Sheep

Javier Asín  1 , Gustavo A Ramírez  2 , Mauricio A Navarro  1 , Akinyi C Nyaoke  1 , Eileen E Henderson  1 , Fábio S Mendonça  3 , Jéssica Molín  2 , Francisco A Uzal  1
Affiliations
Review

Nutritional Wasting Disorders in Sheep

Javier Asín et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

The different ovine production and breeding systems share the cornerstone of keeping a good body condition to ensure adequate productivity. Several infectious and parasitic disorders have detrimental effects on weight gains and may lead to emaciation. Flock health management procedures are aimed to prevent such conditions. Nutritional management is equally important to guarantee adequate body condition. Persistent bouts of low ruminal pH due to excess concentrate in the diet may lead to subacute ruminal acidosis. Pre-stomach motility disorders may also lead to ill-thrift and emaciation. An adequate mineral supplementation is key to prevent the effects of copper, selenium, and other micronutrients deprivation, which may include, among others, loss of condition. This review elaborates on the clinico-pathologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects of some of these conditions, and highlights the necessity of considering them as contributors to states of wasting in sheep flocks.

Keywords: acidosis; mineral deficiencies; nutritional management; sheep; wasting.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pathogenesis of ruminal acidosis. VFA = Volatile fatty acids.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Ruminal papilla with intraepithelial ne trophilic aggregates and pleocellular inflammation in the lamina propria.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Morris S.T. Overview of sheep production systems. In: Ferguson D.M., Lee C., Fisher A., editors. Advances in Sheep Welfare. 1st ed. Woodhead Publishing; Kidlington, UK: 2017. pp. 19–35.
    1. Lovatt F. Developing flock health plans. Practice. 2004;26:290–295. doi: 10.1136/inpract.26.6.290. - DOI
    1. Zajac A.M. Gastrointestinal nematodes of small ruminants: Life cycle, anthelmintics, and diagnosis. Vet. Clin. N. Am. Food Anim. Pract. 2006;22:529–541. doi: 10.1016/j.cvfa.2006.07.006. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baird G.J., Fontaine M.C. Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis and its role in ovine caseous lymphadenitis. J. Comp. Pathol. 2007;137:179–210. doi: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2007.07.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Windsor P.A. Paratuberculosis in sheep and goats. Vet. Microbiol. 2015;181:161–169. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2015.07.019. - DOI - PubMed