1
METABOLIC DISORDERS
Appears at slaughter as casualties. A special category is the „downer
syndrome” is mostly a sequel to cases of parturient paresis in cows or is
associated to
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Metritis
Dystocia
Septic mastitis
Milk fever
Ketosis
Grass tetany
Arthritis
Hypomagnesaemic tetany
Neuromuscular, skeletal paralysis resulting in recumbency, inability
to rise of heavy animals (limb flexed under the body causing
ischaemia in muscles). The continuous pressure in muscle causes
swollen, oedematous infarction, dark haemorrhages especially in
the deep muscles
 Injury to bones, muscles, joints, nerves, fractures, dislocations (e.g.
hindquarter injury)
The metabolic diseases of hypocalcaemia, hypomagnasaemia,
hypophosphataemia, hypoglycaemia are diseases of high production
(meat, milk, reproduction) animals with potential imbalance, relative
deficiency.
The incidence of disease and death, the overall cost estimated to be
greater than that due to specific infective diseases
A few of metabolic diseases are inherited
 Porcine stress syndrome (PSS, malignant hyperthermia, PSE,
back muscle necrosis, transport myopathy of pigs, etc.)
 Photosensitisation in sheep
 Osteogenesis imperfecta in cattle
 Mannosidosis in Aberdeen-Angus cattle (defficiency in the enzyme
of mannosidase resulting in ataxia, abortion and neonatal death)
2
Most metabolic diseases are acquired
 Hypomagnesaemic tetany (grass tetany, grass staggers, lactation
tetany. Hereford diseases), death of cattle, sheep
 Pregnancy toxaemia (fat cow syndrome, fatty degeneration of liver,
ewes, cows)
 Parturient paresis (milk fever), cows, ewes
 Ketosis (acetonaemia, ketonaemia), cattle
 DFD (cattle, pig)
 Post-parturient haemoglobinuria of cows (icterus, dark-redish
urine)
 Azoturia (paralytic myoglobinuria, necrosis of muscles), horses
 Transit tetany (recumbency) (transport), cows, ewes, mares
 Equine hyperlipaemia (pony mares)
 Congenital porphyria (cattle, pig)
 Congenital photosensitisation (primary, secondary due to liver
damage in lambs)
Judgement of metabolic diseases including photosensitisation: Fit, Unfit,
Partial condemnation depending on extension and overall body condition.
3
NUTRITIONAL DEFFICIENCIES
Energy and protein starvation due to adverse weather conditions (winter,
drought, poor quality feed, inferior milk replacer to calves, malnutrition.
Deficiencies of major
phosphorous, chlorine.
minerals
(calcium,
sodium,
potassium,
Deficiencies
of
microminerals/trace-elements
(cobalt,
copper,
molybdenum, iodide, iron, magnesium, manganese, selenium-low in new
clover pasture, sulphur, zinc).
Geographic regions.
Deficiencies are resulting in:
 Poor body condition, huge losses in body weight (emaciation with
generalised oedema)
 Severe parasitic infestations (parasistic gastro-enteritis, bronchitis)
 Lowered reproductive performance
 Susceptibility to various diseases
 Deaths
 Malnutrition is inevitably accompanied by vitamin defficiencies ( A,
D, E, K)
Selenium and vitamin E are components of the glutathion peroxidase
enzyme and protect against lipid peroxidation of membranes
Selenium and vitamin E deficiency causes
 Enzootic (nutritional) muscular dystrophy (all species)
 Bone marrow defect and anaemia (all species)
 Susceptibility to infectious and parasitic diseases (all species)
 Exsudative diathesis (pigs, chicks and other species)
 Iron hypersensitivity (pigs)
 Hepatosis dietetica (pigs)
 Mulberry heart disease* (haemorrhages, necrosis and rapid death
of pigs)
 Weakly neonates
4
Cattle
 Retained fetal membranes
Sheep, cattle, pig
 Infertility
Poultry
 Exsudative diathesis
 Nutritional muscular dystrophy
 Encephalomalacia
Other conditions
 Nutritional muscular dystrophy (or myopathy, white muscle
disease, stiff lamb disease). This is a muscle degeneration of
calves, lambs, goat kids, foals, pigs and poultry owing to low
selenium intake (soil, grain is poor in selenium). In the congenital
form death occurs after a few days of birth
 Hepatosis dietetica (liver degeneration and death)
 Exsudative diathesis (oedema in pigs, broilers, breath and thigh
and cavities)
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*Mulberry heart disease, hepatosis dietetica, exsudative diathesis and
nutritional myopathy or white muscle disease or stiff lamb diseases
(NMD) in pigs are sometimes termed as the VESD syndrome (vitamin
E and selenium deficiency) because of a comon aetiology.
Judgement of nutritional defficiencies
 Total condemnation if it is associated with emaciation and/or
generalised oedema
 Approved for human consumption in less severe cases and good
body condition (partial condemnations)
5
Diseases caused by environmental pollutants (inorganic and organic
poisoning)
Judgement: total condemnation
(lead, acids, alkalines, ammonium compounds, urea, arsenic,
cadmium, chemical pesticides, copper, dioxins, oestrogen-feed
additives, antimicrobials, animal and poultry wastes, fluorine,
hydrocyanic acid, cyanids, mercury, molibdenum, nitrate, nitrite,
phosphorus, rodenticides, selenium, sodium chloride, zinc,
mycotoxins, poisonous algae, etc.).
(Unfit: Liver and kidneys of animals more than 2 years old from
regions where implementation of plans approved in acordance with
Article 5 of Directive 96/23/EC, has revealed the generalized
presence of heavy metals in the environment: Regulation (EC) No
854/2004.