4 Clinical Findings and Clinical Pathology of Bovine and Ovine Ketosis

Transcript

Last class we have seen about the Pathogenesis of the Ketosis and How each Clinical Sign develops or Why Clinical signs like the Nervous form of Ketosis and other Encephalopathy develop in the case of Ovine Ketosis, everything has been seen.

In this class, we will see about the Clinical findings, Clinical pathology, Diagnosis, and Differential Diagnosis of Bovine and Ovine Ketosis.

So, coming to Clinical findings, we have got two forms of Bovine Ketosis:

• one is the Wasting form
• another one is the Nervous form

In the case of Wasting form: this is the most common form of ketosis in bovines:

• there will be a decrease in the appetite
• there will also be a decrease in the milk yield over 2-3 days
• cows will refuse to eat grain but continue to eat hay, that is why the owners will tell its roughage is taken normally whereas the animal is not eating grains
• This is the commonest complaint we get from the owners.
• So, and there will be a rapid loss of body weight, which is why it is called a Wasting form
• because of the loss of the subcutaneous fat, the animal will go for a woody appearance
• there will be a disappearance of the subcutaneous fat and there will be firm and dry feces
• The animal will be depressed
• it will have a disinclination to eat and move
• there will be a fruity odor from the breath, that is the sweet odor in-breath and

Nervous form of the ketosis: Nervous form of ketosis:

• the animal will be in a stage of delirium rather than frenzy
• the animal will be walking in circles crossing of legs which will be the first sign seen in case of the Nervous form of ketosis, once the animal starts developing Hypoglycemia, the owner will complain that the crossing of limbs is seen like that
• there will be head pushing
• apparent blindness is also more common
• aimless wandering and movement of the animal are seen
• vigorous licking of the skin is one of the most important Clinical signs in case of Nervous form of ketosis
• Chewing movement and salivation
• Hyperesthesia will be there
• Bellowing
• Tremor and Tetany: tremor or tetany will be there most often these nervous form of ketosis resembles that of the Rabies in the case of bovines.

Pregnancy Toxemia: in ovine says:

• separation from the group
• failure to come up with feeding
• there will be an apparent blindness
• constipation, feces will be dry and scanty
• grinding of teeth is also seen
• Nervous signs there will be tremors of the muscles of the head, twitching of the lips, and also the champion of jaws will be seen
• salivation will be there
• there will be tonic and clonic convulsions
• Hyperaesthesia will be there
• cogwheel type clonic contractions of the cervical muscle system
• there will be dorsiflexion and lateral deviation of the head as seen
• stargazing posture will be seen
• so circling tonic-clonic convulsions
• abnormal postures as I told stargazing posture
• in coordination falling and
• recumbency will be occurring in three to four days
• there will be a profound depression and
• there will be difficulty in lambing and the animal will recover after lambing

Now I will show the slides showing:

the Clinical signs the animal is recumbent

there is a stargazing poster

the third animal is recumbent with the stargazing posture

so, this is again a stargazing poster in pregnancy toxemia, In the same animal, we were able to see a Hypoglycemia the glucose level is only 31 milligram per deciliter and ketonemia so the ketometer values showed more than 3.1, which indicates that the animal is going for there is an increase in the ketone body production.

Clinical Pathology; how are we going to diagnose the presence of ketosis is by Diagnosis of the Hypoglycemia Ketonemia and Ketonuria. so, we can see the presence of ketone bodies in the serum and also in the urine.

So, Glucose level

The normal range is between 50 to 65 milligram per deciliter

whereas in the case of Ketosis the range can be between 20 to 40 milligram per deciliter and in case of secondary Ketosis, there may be a Hyperglycemia

Ketone bodies:

beta hydroxy butyrate (BHB)

Normal will be less than 1.0 millimole per liter

whereas in the case of clinical ketosis it will be more than 2.5 millimoles per liter

milk and urine ketone bodies can be diagnosed or tested for the diagnosis of ketone bodies; this can be deducted by the reaction of the acetoacetate with sodium nitroprusside.

sodium nitroprusside reaction is more sensitive with acetoacetate than acetone acetone is only deductible when the concentration is greater than 600 millimole per liter

Sodium Nitroprusside Test

so, this is the test showing the sodium nitroprusside test that is called a Rothera’s Test in the urine and we have got commercially available strips for diagnosis of the urine ketone bodies.

It can be diagnosed by saying

Hypoglycemia

Ketonemia

Ketonuria

Serum beta hydroxy butyrate (BHB) level will be more than 3.0 millimole per liter

Metabolic acidosis, one of the most important signs in the case of the ovines is metabolic acidosis will be there

Terminal uremia is more common and

Abnormal liver function test because as I told fatty liver is one of the important signs in case of ovine ketosis and

The elevated plasma cortisol level will be there more than 10 nanograms per ml.

Milk fat to Milk protein Ratio:

There will be a difference in milk fat to milk for protein ratio this can also be used for the diagnosis of ketosis.

Fat to Protein ratio should be greater than 1.5, if it is less than that then definitely there is Ketosis, that is why the owner used to complain that the milk is watery, when we are stripping the milk there is no frothiness or the froth is breaking frequently, and the milk is watery that will be the primary complaint from the farmers.

In serum biochemistry, there will be elevated non-estrified fatty acids will be as elevated total bilirubin because the liver function will be affected and there will be a decreased plasma cholesterol level because of the liver dysfunction and low plasma cortisol concentration.

Diagnosis: is mainly based on the

History of the animal

Clinical signs, in the case of bovine ketosis diagnosis, are based on the history, clinical signs,

Biochemical examination,

Ketonemia and

Ketonuria

these are necessary to establish the diagnosis.

Differential Diagnosis: Wasting form and Nervous form both are to be differentiated with the different diseases.

The wasting form will be there because it is occurring immediately after the postpartisan period, we need to differentiate it between the disorders or diseases that are occurring in the immediate postpartisan period so including the abomasal displacement, Traumatic reticulitis, Traumatic peritonitis, and Primary indigestion because that is occurring in immediately after the postpartisan, cystitis and pyelonephritis, diabetes mellitus.

Nervous form as we all know in Rabies also, we will see similar signs like that of the Nervous form of the ketosis, so one of the important differential diagnoses is Rabies.

Hypomagnesemia, again hypomagnesium tetrad also is more common so we need to differentiate it between hypomagnesemia also. and bovine spongiform and cephalopathy.

In the case of Sheep Diagnosis can be made with the clinical signs, history, history of pregnancy, and it should be differentiated from Listeriosis Cerebral abscess and Rabies.

So, in nutshell in this class, we have seen about the

• Clinical findings or Clinical signs that are seen in case of the Bovine ketosis and Ovine ketosis,
• different forms that as the Wasting form, Nervous form, and how it will be seen in case of the ovine ketosis and
• how to Diagnose this with the blood and also the urine and
• we have seen the diseases that are to be differentially or that are to be differentiated from the ketosis in both Ovine and the Bovine

In the next class or lesson number 5, we will see the Treatment and Management and Control of the Ketosis.

Thank you!