What causes urinary calculi in sheep?
Although the disease is called Urinary Calculi, the real culprit is phosphorus — specifically too much phosphorus in relation to the amount of calcium in the diet. Feeding too much concentrated feed and/or feeding concentrates with an improper calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is a major cause of Urinary Calculi.
What does ammonium chloride do for sheep?
The FEEDAP Panel concludes that ammonium chloride reduces the pH value in the urine of lambs and the formation of urinary calculi. The effective dose is 1 % in complete feedingstuffs as demonstrated by three studies. This dose and the 1.5 fold overdose affect the mineral balance as it increases renal calcium excretion.
How do you treat a goat with urinary calculi?
Providing a feed which contains a urinary acidifier such as ammonium chloride can aid in addressing stone formation. Later castration, plentiful water and salt, good forage, and exercise are all good management techniques.
How do you treat water belly in sheep?
Ammonium chloride also can be used as a drench for affected animals. Use up to 1.5 ounces per head, but administer only once at that level. Smooth-muscle relaxants may aid in passage of lodged calculi stones. Calculi also can be removed by surgery, but this is not practical for commercial sheep.
How can urinary calculi be prevented?
Drinking more water is the best way to prevent kidney stones. If you don’t drink enough, your urine output will be low. Low urine output means your urine is more concentrated and less likely to dissolve urine salts that cause stones. Lemonade and orange juice are also good options.
How is ammonium chloride administered to sheep?
Dosage and Administration: Add 1 lb of Ammonium Chloride to every 100 lbs of feed, or, provide one teaspoon of Ammonium Chloride per goat, per day. Typical administration by this method is one teaspoon per 1-2 gallons of water per day, per animal.
What is a urinary acidifier?
Urinary acidifiers, used to control pH in urine. Systemic acidifiers, used to control pH in the overall body. Acids, mostly used in laboratory experiments.
How often do sheep urinate?
Daily sheep urine volume ranged from 0.5 to 3 L in Ledgard et al. (2008) and the frequency of urination events has been reported to range between 13 and 20 times per day (Doak 1952; Betteridge et al. 2010a, 2010b).
How often do sheep pee?
Sheep urinated 8–11 times d−1, assuming time within pens represented a 24 h period. The mean urine event volume recorded was 289 ± 14 mL, from which we estimated a daily urine production value of 2.77 ± 0.15 L urine sheep−1 d−1.