Food and water intakes of sheep infected with tick-borne fever
1977
Gandaa, Harold B. | Scott, G. R. | British Council : British Overseas Development Ministry
The object of this study was to observe the behaviour of sheep infected with tick-borne fever (TBF) in regard to feed and water intakes. Ten Suffolk and Suffolk cross, sheep of both sexes were grouped into five pairs and housed individually in adjacent holding crates. The first member of each pair was infected with TBF and the second non-infected member served as a control. A pelleted diet and water were weighed out in kilograms and fed to the animals ad libitum. Feed and water intakes, temperature reactions and haematological analyses were measured daily. One infected sheep died from extraneous causes in the early fever. Partial anorexia was observed in the other four infected sheep while febrile, whereas all the control sheep maintained a normal temperature and appetite. The water intake decreased as the temperature of the infected sheep increased but varied little in the non—infected. Significant differences in the food and water intakes between the infected and non-infected sheep were observed from the fifth to the seventh day after inoculation. The infected sheep lost weight whereas the non-infected sheep gained weight.
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