Semina: Ciências Agrárias (Dec 2015)

Clinical evaluation of unadapted sheep submited to sudden intake of melon with high levels of sugar

  • Francisco Leonardo Costa Oliveira,
  • Raimundo Alves Barrêto Júnior,
  • Antonio Humberto Hamad Minervino,
  • Leonardo Frasson Reis,
  • Marcondes Dias Tavares,
  • Rodolfo Gurgel Vale,
  • Jucélio Silva Gameleira,
  • Francisco Jocelho Alexandre Souza,
  • Clara Satsuki Mori,
  • Enrico Lippi Ortolani

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2015v36n6p3721
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 36, no. 6
pp. 3721 – 3730

Abstract

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This study evaluated the clinical effects of two different amounts of melon, with a high sugar content, suddenly offered to unadapted sheep. Twelve rumem cannulated crossbred 8-months-old sheep , weighing 25 kg each, were used. These sheep had never been fed with food concentrated with sugar or fruits. The animals were kept in collective pens with a basal diet of roughage and then randomly divided into two equal groups. The sheep in the two groups received 25% and 75% of dry matter (DM) of the diet the crushed melon, administered by the rumen cannula. Physical examination and measurement of rumen fluid pH was performed at the following times: 0, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 h. The animals of G25% did not present clinical signs despite subacute acidosis expected after administration of the melon. However, in the G75%, sheep developed clinical manifestation indicative of lactic acidosis with rumen fluid pH lower than 5.0 from T6h, but did not present with dehydration. In sheep from G75 %, tachycardia was observed at 3 h and continued until the end of the study; tachypnea was also observed at 3 h, which was caused by increased abdominal circumference. Based on the results obtained, the supplementation of high amounts of melon (75% DM) in the diet is not recommended for sheep, although the use of 25% DM is safe. However, greater amounts of this fruit could be used in the diet of sheep with gradual adaptation to the substrate.

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