Symptoms and Prevention and Treatment Methods of Salt Poisoning in Sheep
Salt is rich in sodium and chlorine substances, both of which are essential minerals for the animal body, and have the effect of increasing appetite and promoting growth and development. When raising sheep, we all feed a small amount of salt to speed up the growth of sheep. However, if the salt intake is too large, salt poisoning will occur, and it may even lead to the death of sheep. So what are the symptoms of salt poisoning in sheep? And how should it be prevented and treated? Let's take a look with Qinnong Web.
1. Poisoning symptoms
After salt poisoning, sheep show thirst, weakened appetite or stop eating, disappearance of rumen motility, bloating of the stomach, a large amount of foam flowing from the mouth, dilated pupils or blindness, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, and sometimes blood in the stool. In the early stage of poisoning, the sick sheep show excitement and restlessness, teeth grinding, muscle twitching, begin to walk blindly or continuously circle around, and as time goes on, gradually become difficult to walk, with weak hind limbs dragging on the ground, fall down and convulse, and the four limbs paddle aimlessly. In severe cases, the sick sheep become comatose, and finally die of suffocation. The body temperature shows no abnormal change and is the same as usual. If the onset lasts a long time, symptoms of subcutaneous edema may appear.
2. Prevention methods
When feeding salt, attention must be paid to the amount. It should not be too little, otherwise salt hunger is likely to occur, affecting the sheep's appetite and growth and development, but if the feeding amount is too large, it will also cause salt poisoning in sheep. Therefore, grasping this feeding amount is very important. Generally, the daily salt intake of each adult sheep is about 10 grams, while that of lambs is between 3-5 grams. Exceeding this dose may cause poisoning problems. When adding salt to the feed, it must be fully and evenly mixed, so as to avoid uneven mixing, which may cause some sheep to consume too much and become poisoned, while some sheep consume too little, affecting growth and development. After feeding salt, sufficient drinking water must be ensured, otherwise the sheep will be thirsty and their feed intake will be affected.
3. Treatment methods
After discovering symptoms of salt poisoning in sheep, the first thing to do is to stop feeding the salt feed and control drinking water, then determine whether it is really salt poisoning. After diagnosis, sufficient clean drinking water should be provided immediately. Drinking water should be controlled, with a small amount each time but many times, and care should be strengthened. In the early stage of poisoning, give the sick sheep mucilaginous agents and oily laxatives. Drinking water should still be controlled, and excessive drinking should be avoided so as not to worsen the condition. Intravenous injection of glucose solution and vitamins can achieve a very good therapeutic effect. Poisoning is mainly caused by excessive sodium and chlorine minerals, so in order to excrete these two substances and inhibit their absorption by the liver and kidneys, while giving intravenous injection, furosemide injection can be injected intramuscularly. If the condition is severe and heart failure occurs, cardiotonic agents can be injected, and if dehydration occurs, fluid replacement must be carried out immediately.
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