1. Nutritional Diseases in Livestock
Kirsti Whitmyre,

2. Objectives Students will know… Common nutritional diseases
Causes and symptoms
Treatment and prevention

3. Importance of Animal Nutrition
A consistent feed regime is critical to prevent nutritional diseases
Diseased stock can put economic success of enterprise in danger
Deficiencies and toxicities can damage livestock before they are detected
Must monitor feeds and resources closely

4. Main Causes of Nutritional Diseases
Too little feed
Deficiency in one or more nutrients
Forced production
Feed produced on leached or depleted soils
Increase in confinement of animals

5. Check For Understanding
What are 2 of the 3 main categories of nutritional disease?

6. Vitamin Deficiency Diseases
Osteomalacia (Rickets)
Causes:
Inadequate vitamin D
Incorrect ratio of calcium: phosphorus
Symptoms:
Lack of appetite, weight loss
Enlarged or stiff joints, bowed legs

7. Vitamin Deficiency Diseases
Osteomalacia (Rickets)
Treatment:
Limited once animal shows symptoms
Mineral/Vitamin supplements may help
Prevention:
Balanced feed rations, properly fertilized crops
Animals have access to direct sunlight

8. Vitamin Deficiency Diseases
Stiff-Lamb Disease (White Muscle Disease)
Causes:
Deficiency or imbalance of vitamin E or selenium
Symptoms:
Humped or "roached" back
Stiff, stilted way of moving
Inhalation pneumonia in lambs

9. Vitamin Deficiency Diseases
Stiff-Lamb Disease (White Muscle Disease)
Treatment:
Vitamin E/selenium injections if caught early
Selenium supplements
Prevention:
Vitamin E/selenium injections at docking time
Vitamin E/selenium injections at 2-4 weeks of age

10. Vitamin Deficiency Diseases
Night Blindness (Xerophthalmia)
Causes:
Vitamin A intake is too low
Symptoms:
Faulty night vision
Rough hair coat
Severe scours
Stunted growth

11. Vitamin Deficiency Diseases
Night Blindness (Xerophthalmia)
Treatment:
Add vitamin A to diet or give vitamin A injections
Prevention:
Provide good sources of vitamin A
Green pasture, yellow corn, fresh cured alfalfa

12. Mineral Deficiency Diseases
Milk Fever
Causes:
Low blood calcium concentration
Symptoms:
Loss of appetite, constipation soon after calving
Nervousness, loss of consciousness
Head turned/twisted toward shoulder

13. Mineral Deficiency Diseases
Milk Fever
Treatment:
Administering calcium salts intravenously
Prevention:
Diet with proper phosphorus: calcium (ratio)
Lower dietary calcium 2 weeks before calving
High Vitamin D ration 5 days before calving

14. Mineral Deficiency Diseases
Milk Fever Video
Click HERE if video does not play

15. Mineral Deficiency Diseases
Anemia
Causes:
Iron or copper deficiency, parasites
Symptoms:
Loss of appetite, emaciation in suckling young
Rough hair coat, pale membranes
Swelling in head and shoulders

16. Mineral Deficiency Diseases
Anemia
Treatment:
Iron injections
Prevention:
Providing balanced feeds to young
Iron Dextran solution injection (piglets)

17. Mineral Deficiency Diseases
Goiter
Causes:
Failure to obtain enough iodine from thyroid gland
Symptoms:
Thyroid gland swells, “big neck”
Reproductive failures
Hairless piglets, weak foals

18. Mineral Deficiency Diseases
Goiter
Treatment:
Not effective once symptoms appear
Prevention:
Feeding iodized salts
Rare disease

19. Toxicity Diseases Selenium Poisoning Causes: Symptoms:
Plants grown on soil with high selenium
Symptoms:
Loss of tail hair (cattle)
Loss of body hair (swine)
Loss of mane & tail, hooves slough off (horses)

20. Toxicity Diseases Selenium Poisoning Treatment: Prevention:
Not practical in advanced cases
Prevention:
Pasture rotation

21. Toxicity Diseases Urinary Calculi Causes: Symptoms:
High intake of potassium
High calcium: low phosphorus (ratio)
High Silica content
Symptoms:
Frequent attempts to urinate, pain, renal colic
Usually seen only in males

22. Toxicity Diseases Urinary Calculi Treatment: Prevention:
Limited success, for valuable animals only
Ammonium chloride and salt added to diet, remove alfalfa
Surgical removal– may leave males sterile
Prevention:
Avoid high phosphorus or high calcium diets
Delayed castration

23. Toxicity Diseases Nitrate Poisoning Causes: Symptoms:
Feed high in nitrates
Sudan grass, oat hay, corn stalks, barley forage
Stressed plants, surface runoff
Symptoms:
Accelerated pulse and respiration
Diarrhea, frequent urination, blue mucous membranes

24. Toxicity Diseases Nitrate Poisoning Treatments: Prevention:
Intravenous solution of methylene blue or sodium sulfate
Prevention:
Feeding high levels of grains and molasses
Feeding ensiled forages high in nitrates (during ensiling nitrates turn to gas)

25. Check for Understanding
What are 3 of the 5 main causes of nutritional diseases?

26. Related Careers
Animal Nutrition is important in the following careers:
Animal dietician, animal nutritionist
Veterinarian, veterinary technician
Livestock producer

27. Related SAE Projects Raising or Breeding: Beef Swine Dairy Sheep
Horses
Goats

28. Check for Understanding
Why is understanding how to properly feed an animal important in preventing nutritional diseases in livestock?

29. References
All images with no citation beneath them are from the Animal Science Image Gallery:
CLF3156: uster/3156.txt