Causes and Prevention Measures of Salt Poisoning in Beef Cattle

Salt is not only an indispensable item in our daily lives, but it is also frequently used in the breeding industry. Especially during hot periods of high temperature, many cattle and sheep farmers feed salt to prevent heatstroke symptoms. But when carelessness during feeding causes salt poisoning in cattle, what should be done? Let's take a look together.

1. Causes of Salt Poisoning in Beef Cattle

The main component of salt is sodium chloride, which is a substance necessary for the body's metabolism in animals. Adding it to feed in a certain proportion can stimulate appetite, promote body metabolism, and accelerate growth and development. However, if fed in excess or improperly, poisoning can occur. After poisoning, a small portion of the salt enters the blood, while most remains in the gastrointestinal tract, causing inflammation. Arbitrarily increasing the amount of food fed during feeding can also cause poisoning. In low-temperature seasons, cattle farms often use barn feeding, supplementing concentrate and salt once, and if the feed is not thoroughly mixed before allowing the cattle to eat freely, some strong and robust cattle are very likely to consume excessive amounts and become poisoned. In addition, a lack of drinking water for beef cattle is another cause of salt poisoning. If cows during lactation are fed according to the normal salt amount, it can also cause poisoning.

2. Symptoms of Poisoning

After salt enters the blood, it causes the levels of sodium ions and chloride ions to rise, resulting in clinical phenomena of excessive nervous excitement and paralysis. Severely affected beef cattle will show excessive excitement, pricked ears, wide-open eyes, a frightened gaze, accelerated breathing, and typical abdominal breathing, with a small amount of clear nasal discharge flowing from the nostrils, mild drooling from the mouth, and body temperature basically normal. Heartbeat increases, and the muscles of the limbs tremble, especially the thigh muscles and gluteal muscles. Then they suddenly fall to the ground in a half-lateral position, oblivious to everything, with eyes half-closed and half-open, falling into a drowsy state.

3. Preventive Measures

Ensure that beef cattle have sufficient drinking water, especially for cows during lactation, which must be fully supplied. For cows about to calve and high-yielding cows during lactation, the amount of salt should be limited during feeding. When feeding cattle with household residual waste water, the amount used must be appropriately limited and fed together with other feeds. For cattle herds that are indeed not fed salt, a salt trough can be set up to allow them to eat freely, and cattle can supplement as needed; when cattle's sensitivity to salt increases, salt should be fed starting from a small amount and then increased to a sufficient amount.

4. Treatment Measures

Currently there is no specific antidote. The main approach is to dilute the salt concentration in the body and blood, accelerate the excretion of salt, and promote the balance of cations in the blood for follow-up. The sick cattle can be given gastric lavage, combined with supplying clear water in small amounts and multiple times to dilute the salt concentration. If the sick cattle show neurological symptoms, the corresponding medication should be injected intravenously and intramuscularly in a timely manner. If your own conditions are insufficient, it is recommended to call a veterinarian.

The above is an introduction to the causes and prevention measures of salt poisoning in beef cattle. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please follow us.