Study of hypocalcaemia in pregnant ewes

Abstract EN

Experiment was conducted from 1/1/2015-1/7/2015 to study the clinical signs and biochemical changes including calcium, phosphor, magnesium and glucose in pregnant ewes in comparison with control (non pregnant ewes).

The study was included 30 alawassi ewes (24 pregnant and 6 control (dry or non-pregnant ewes)) and through the using of vaginal sponges to unify estrus, pregnancy and coincided on the same day.

The study noticed clinically, clinical signs that appeared on the pregnant ewes at the end of the fifth month of pregnancy before, during and after parturition.

In all pregnant ewes, 24 ewes showed the clinical signs hypocalcemia, included depression (100 %), rapid respiration (100 %), tachy cardia (83.3 %), muscular tremor (66.6%), muscular weakness (66.6%), anorexia (66.6 %), teeth grinding (62.5), hypothermia (62.5 %), normal temperature (37.5 %), Stiff and uncoordinated movement (16.6 %), Ruminal stasis and tympany (12.5 %) and sternal recumbency (8.3 %).

It was study observed that ewes pregnant with twin lambs, 9 of 24 ewes, 8 of them, (88.9%) shawed signs of hypocalcemia while pregnant with single lamb was 15 out of 24 ewes, 8 of them only, (53.3 %) showed signs of Hypocalcemia.

Also noticed in this study that pregnant ewes in age (≥ 3) years 12 ewes 10 of them, (83.3 %) shawed signs of hypocalcaemia while pregnant ewes in age between (1-3) years was 12, 6 (50 %) showed signs of Hypocalcemia.

The levels of Ca, P, Mg and Glucose in serum in the period of first, second and third month of gestation, were within the normal ranges in pregnant ewes when differentiated with the control (dry ewes).

While the calcium level in serum of the pregnant ewes (clinically sick) in the final fourth and fifth months of pregnancy was significantly lower than the Ca level in pregnant ewes (clinically normal) and control (dry ewes).

However the glucose levels in serum of pregnant ewes (clinically sick) in the end of fifth month of gestation, was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than glucose levels in pregnant ewes (clinically normal) and control (dry ewes).