Sudden death in lambs and kids Flashcards
Sudden death
* Common causes:
- !Hypothermia/hypoglycemia complex
- !Pulpy kidney
- Haemonchosis
- !Copper toxicitiy
- !Obstructive urolithiasis
- !Pneumonia – Mannhemia haemolytica, Bibersteinia trehalosi
- White muscle disease (E/Se deficiency)
- Grain overload
- Ruminal bloat
- Entrapment, predation, lightning
Hypothermia/hypoglycemia
* Presenting complaint
* Epidemiology
Presenting complaint
* Increased mortality in young lambs/kids
* Typically first 72 h, may be within first week
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Epidemiology
* Combination of lack of energy (= colostrum)
and cool environmental temperatures
* Can occur separately as well
Hypothermia/hypoglycemia
Risk factors:
- Insufficient stores at birth
* Low birth weight (<3kg)
* Poor nutrition of late gestation dam
* Abortion diseases
<><> - Dystocia
* Damage to CNS/ability to thermoregulate
* Weak and slow to consume colostrum
<><> - Mismothering
* Lack of maternal bond–doesn’t dry off lamb, doesn’t assist with nursing
* Mastitis or insufficient milk
<><> - Enviornment
* Cold, drafty = increases energy needs
Hypothermia/hypoglycemia
- progression of what we might see?
At risk lamb: tucked up / depressed / empty
> At risk lamb: down, cold, may be convulsing
Hypothermia/hypoglycemia
- how does the lamb survive without eating? what is an important factor?
- prognostic factors? what can we do?
- Lambs/kids are born with brown fat reserves, these are used up by ~5h
- Lambs can survive with a lower body temperature assuming they still have brown fat /energy reserves
<><><><> - if it is cold, will die sooner, eg. die in less than 5h in <20C, but can live 12+h if >30C
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Temperature: - < 39 C ? - Mild hypothermia
- < 37 C ? - Severe hypothermia
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Age: - < 5 hours - Brown fat +
- > 5 hours - Brown fat -
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Suckle reflex: - Present - Can use stomach tube
- Absent - Do not use stomach tube
Hypothermia/hypoglycemia
- should we warm up lambs? what might we want to do first?
- If lambs/kids have NO energy reserve, and we re-warm them, we increase their metabolic rate
- This means they will have an increased energy requirement – but they have NO energy!
- These animals will go into convulsions/seizures and die if rewarmed WITHOUT giving an energy source first!
<><><><> - if they can swallow can give colostrum via stomach tube for energy
- if they cant, can give IP dextrose- then if too cold, can put in warming box until >37C
Hypothermia/hypoglycemia
* Tubing a lamb:
- make sure lamb can swallow/ suckle!
- Sit on lap
- Measure tube (last rib)
- Pass into mouth, gently encourage to swallow
- Feel tube in esophagus
- Administer colostrum slowly (50 mL / kg)
Pulpy kidney
- who gets this?
- presentation?
- pathogen? how it causes problems?
- transmission
- Healthy, fast-growing lambs (less commonly kids)
- Found dead (unusually, may see neurologic signs)
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Clostridium perfringens type D - Alpha and epsilon toxins
- Low immunity to epsilon toxins
> Acts on CNS causing necrosis and edema
> Damages vascular endothelium
<><><><> - Spores of bacteria, shed in manure, common in soil > contaminate feed and pasture
- Bacteria grow, but are destroyed by stomach acidity
Pulpy kidney
* Risk factors
– large volumes of rich feed
* High levels of carbohydrate and sugar
* Allows bacteria to grow quickly
* Produces exotoxins which are absorbed
* Eg. high grain diets, lush pastures, ‘slug’ feeding
* UNVACCINATED animals!
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* Although infectious – major risk factors are feeding management and host immunity
Pulpy kidney
- who we see it in?
- possible signs?
- Typically ‘best doing’ animals > 4 weeks – 1 year old
<><> - If see signs:
- Transient diarrhea
- Ataxia, blindness, quickly progressing to convusions and death within hours
(but recall, usually find dead)
Pulpy kidney
* Postmortem findings:
- Paintbrush hemorrhages of GI tract, peritoneum
- Pericardial effusion, with ‘chicken fat’ clot
- Epicardial hemorrhages
- Pulmonary edema
- Autolysis of kidneys (soft, pulpy)
- Focal symmetric encephalomalacia
- GI tract often empty, evidence of fecal staining on perineum
Pulpy kidney
* Treatment? prognosis?
- Can give C. perfringens antitoxin
- Penicillin
- IV fluids
- NSAIDs
<><> - Case fatality rate is very high, even with treatment
Pulpy kidney
- control measures
At risk group:
* Remove risky feed (grain, lush pasture)
* Replace with dry hay
* Increase frequency if slug feeding
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Administer antitoxin metaphylactically……
* Expensive
* Can’t vaccinate for 21 days
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* OR – start vaccinating! (+/- penicillin)
* Control – multi-way Clostridial vaccine
Pulpy kidney
- vaccine protocol
- Primary series of youngstock
- 12 and 16 weeks of age
- Annual thereafter
<><> - Breeding animals – 2-4 weeks prior to parturition
- Increase colostral immunity for lambs/kids
<><> - Feeding management!
Chronic copper toxicosis
- common presentation
- who is affected
- causes
- Sudden death in sheep
- Less common in goats > Goats have a higher requirement level than sheep
<><> - Causes:
- Excessive dietary copper
- Low dietary molybdenum
- Cu:Mo ratio greater than 6:1
