Nancy,
That is very tragic. I would like to mention that anemia comes in many
disguises, which is why I think reliance on eye membrane color isn't the
best judge of worm burden. Anemia can be caused by cobalt deficiency,
too little copper or too much molybdenum as well as haemonchus contortus
infestation. Death from cobalt deficiency can be fairly swift. An
off-color animal will present a sub-normal temperature. I would think
that a shortfall of protein would not be a cause of anemia in itself,
but I believe cobalt is needed for iron to be synthesized into
hemoglobin and a deficiency would create a deadly anemia.
This is why I believe, if we are seeing possible environmental problems
with the sheep - anemia being a sort of deficiency disease - it's a good
idea to do forage and soil testing. Sheep do need copper despite
propaganda to the contrary, but a copper-deficiency induced anemia won't
kill an animal suddenly. It presents in chronic, unabated scouring that
causes the animal to slowly waste away and mimics Johne's disease. Of
course acute copper toxicity kills the animal suddenly.
Mineral deficiencies can be highly localized and the effects on the
animal can mimic organic diseases.
Somewhere I have information about overeater's disease being more an
environmental vs. organic disease. If I find it I will share.
Thanks,
Barb
- Original Message -
From: "Nancy & Tom Richardson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To:
Sent: Sunday, October 21, 2007 12:56 PM
Subject: [Blackbelly] dead lambs quick
>A couple of years ago we put some rams out on a neighbors pasture and
>fed
> them grain about 2 times a week. they had been wormed. But we lost 3
> of
> them. They just dropped dead. Figured out it was anemia. They were not
> getting enough protein from the grass but yet looked fat and sassy.
> Perhaps
> this could be the problem. Our rams weighed about 50 pounds. Nancy
>
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