Causes: irritant food. Lesions: Symptoms: separates from its fellows,
arched back, stiff straddling gait, straining, muscular weakness,
recumbency, urine red, with blood globules and albumen. Prevention:
care in feeding and watering, change of pasture and treatment as in
the ox.
_Causes._ As in cattle, the smaller ruminants appear to suffer
especially from an alimentary renal congestion, showing itself mainly in
animals that are unaccustomed to the particular toxic aliment. Thus,
Cornevin finds that the Pyrennean sheep thrives on the leaves of the
Quercus tosa, while Southdown sheep taking it in any considerable
quantity perish of renal congestion or nephritis. Similarly Weith fed
four sheep on cynanchum vincetoxicum and developed renal congestion in
the course of three days. Other causes doubtless contribute in
individual cases but have not been specially traced to their effects.
_Lesions_ are in the main the same as in cattle, the kidneys being
bluish red, soft, flaccid and friable.
_Symptoms._ The sheep lags behind the flock, frequently lies down and
rises, strains to urinate, and passes often considerable quantities. The
back is arched, the loins tender, the walk stiff and straddling, the
pulse small and weak. If the disease advances, there come on extreme
muscular weakness, a disposition to lie, an uncertain, gait, with
frequent stumbling, dullness, stupor, and it may be coma. The urine is
usually tinged with blood or of a deep red or black, and contains
well-formed blood globules and more or less albumen.
_Prevention and treatment_ should proceed on the same lines as in the
ox, but in dealing with a large herd it becomes difficult to treat each
separate case with special care. The avoidance of sudden change of food
as in turning out in spring, the feeding of grain before turning out,
the return to the fold after a short freedom, and the gradual transition
to the new food are important. When the disease has developed, an entire
change of pasture or food, the use of roots, ensilage, or grain, or of
freshly cut meadow grass, is indicated, and an oleaginous laxative
(castor oil 2 to 3 ozs.) are indicated. Oilcake or flaxseed meal will
often prove a most valuable article. Beyond this the same agents would
be indicated as for the ox.