Veterinary Practitioner Vol. 13 No.

December 2012

DIETARY INDUCED METABOLIC ACIDOSIS IN GOATS AND ITS

SUCCESSFUL THERAPEUTIC MANAGEMENT
S.R. Gupta, R. Yadav, C.S. Sharma, and A. Gattani1
Department of Veterinary Medicine
Apollo College of Veterinary Medicine, Jamdoli, Agra Road, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
ABSTRACT
The present study is carried out on 10 goats of Sirohi breed which were diagnosed as dietary induced metabolic acidosis. In
present study, ruminal pH, ruminal motility, odour, colour, consistency of rumen liquor, ruminal microflora and protozoal motility
differed significantly from apparently healthy groups of goats. In haematological parameters, a significant increase observed in
haemoglobin, packed cell volume and total leukocyte counts and biochemistry showed significant increase in blood lactate level,
total protein, AST, ALT and serum sodium level while serum potassium level were significantly decreased.
Key words: Goats, metabolic acidosis, ruminal liquor, haemato-biochemical parameters

Introduction
Ingestion of highly fermentable carbohydrate feed in
excessive quantities or decrease amount of well structure
roughages and gradually increase in concentrate in ration for
a prolonged period in ruminants leads to decrease time of
rumination, reduction in amount of saliva, decline in ruminal
pH to such degree that change in microbial flora in rumen and
favour the multiplication of amylolytic bacteria which degrade
starch and sugar causing rapid fermentation and production
of large quantity of lactic acid and long chained volatile fatty
acids (VFA). This turned normal buffering capacity of rumen
resulting ruminal acidosis, ruminal hypotonocity and/or rumen
stasis, circulatory impairment, decrease renal blood flow and
glomerular filtration rate, dehydration, hypovolumic shock and
death. (Anderson, 1992; Wendy, 1992).The case fatality rate
may be up to 90 per cent in untreated cases where as in
therapeutically managed cases it may exceed to 30 40 per
cent (Radostits et al., 2007).
Although this disease has been extensively studied for its
clinico-biochemical aspects in bovine (Mishra et al., 1972;
Mishra and Singh, 1974; Randhawa et al., 1989; Dwivedi,
2000), sheep (Hoflund et al., 1948) and experimental goats
(Rai and Pandey, 1980; Tanwar and Mathur, 1983; Lai et al.,
1989; Basak et al., 1993; Hajikolaei et al., 2006), but reports in
clinical cases of ruminal acidosis in goats is meagre. Keeping
in view the above facts, the present investigation was
undertaken to study the changes in ruminal activity (ruminal
motility, consistency and pH of ruminal fluid, motility and activity
of rumen micro-flora) of goats suffering from different degrees
of ruminal acidosis (mild, moderate and severe), which might
be of immense help in quick and proper diagnosis and
treatment of this disease.

These goats having history of accidental ingestion of wheat

grain in large quantities or were offered wheat flour prepared
Chapaties by owner and subsequently the goats developed
clinical signs comprising of anorexia, tympany, constipation
or pasty diarrhoea, grinding of teeth and regurgitation of ruminal
contents. On detailed clinical examination revealed reduced
motility to atony of rumen, suspended rumination, subnormal
to normal rectal temperature (99 to 103.8 F), increase pulse
rate (70-90/min.) and laboured breathing.
Rumen liquor was collected aseptically directly from
rumen using 16 G needle with syringe for assessment of
physical characteristics of rumen liquor. pH of rumen liquor
was recorded by portable pH meter. Ruminal protozoa activity
was examine in a drop of rumen liquor under microscope and
rumen liquor smear were stain with Grams stain which
showed G-ve micro flora overgrown by G+ve microflora. Based
on these clinico-rumenological indices goats were diagnosed
as case of rumen lactic acidosis. In addition to these, 10
apparently healthy goats of same breed from an organized
farm were taken as control group for comparative study.
Blood samples were collected from affected goat for
estimation of altered haematological indices viz. haemoglobin
(Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), total erythrocyte count (TEC),
total leucocyte count (TLC), using standard technique of Jain
(1986). Serum was separated for estimation of total protein,
ALT and AST using Span diagnostic kits, serum sodium and
potassium concentration were estimated using Flame
photometry (Oser, 1986), and blood lactic acid estimation by
IDEXX wet test automated chemistry analyzer. Blood samples
were also collected from 10 control group of goats once for
estimation of same parameters. Data were analyzed using
ANOVA t test (Sendecor and Cochran, 1994).

Materials and Methods

The present study was carried out on twenty goats of Sirohi
breed aged between six months to two years of either sex
brought to the TVCC, Apollo College of Veterinary Medicine,
Jaipur.

Treatment
All the affected goats were therapeutically managed with
sodium bicarbonate (7.5% w/v) solution @ 2 ml/kg body weight,
intravenously, ringers lactate solution intravenously @ 25 ml/

Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary Biochemistry

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December 2012

Table 1: Physical characteristics of rumen liquor of healthy and affected goats

Parameters
Ruminal motility (per 5 min.)
Ruminal pH
Colour
Odour
Consistency
Protozoal motolity
Microflora

Healthy Goats
7.50.72 (7-10)
6.9 0.24 (6.4-7.2)
Greenish
Aromatic
Viscous
+++
Predominant G -ve

Di seased Goats
2.300.72 (Nil-4)
4.6 0.21 (4.0-5.4)
Milky gray
Sweetish sour
More Watery
+/0
Predominant G + ve

Table 2: Haemato-biochemical findings in apparently healthy group and affected goats

Parameters
Hb (gm/dl)
PCV (per cent)
TE C (Millions/cumm)
TLC (Thousands/cumm)
Total Protein (gm/dl)
AST
ALT
Serum Sodium (mE q/L)
Serum Patassium (mEq/L)
Blood lactic acid (mg/dl)

Healthy Goats
12.25 0.15
35.79 0.07
9.86 0.30
9.15 0.66
6.35 0.90
52.85 7.96
27.83 1.42
127.78 8.2
4.25 3.3
12.35 6.3

kg body weight, Pheneramine maleate @ 0.5 mg/kg body

weight, intramuscularly, Oxytetracycline hydrochloride @ 10 mg/
kg body weight in divided doses intraruminally and
intravenously, and powder Bufzone 50 g once a day orally until
recovery.
Results and Discussion
In the present study accidental ingestion of large amount
of wheat grain or Chapaties was responsible for the
development of ruminal acidosis in goats. The reduction of
ruminal pH is the cause of most of systemic and clinical
changes which are present in present study. The clinical
examination of affected goats revealed increase pulse rate,
respiration rate and subnormal to normal rectal temperature,
bloat, constipation or yellow pasty diarrhoea, nasal discharge,
shrunken eyes, dehydration, sluggish rumen motility and
rumen seems to be full and doughy in all diseased goats
which are accordance with Anderson (1992); Wendy (1992);
Basak (1993) and Hajikolaei et al. (2006).
These clinical signs were gradually disappeared after
treatment. Administration of sodium bicarbonate lessened the
effect of metabolic acidosis, antihistaminic drug Phenaremine
maleate has reduced the rumen and blood histamine level,
Ringers lactate solution have maintain the sodium, potassium
and chloride level of diseased goats. Oxytetracyline
hydrochloride prevents the fermentation and powder Bufzone
a buffering oral drug containing ideal ruminal buffer, metabolic
booster and yeast for the management of rumen acidosis
(Selvaraj, 2007).
The present observations in respect of ruminal motility,

Di seased Goats
16.43 0.17
53.78 1.5
10.25 0.35
17.65 1.70
14.34 2.25
103.89 4.95
59.87 4.97
148.07 5.4
3.17 1.07
25.30 4.5

odour, colour, consistency of rumen liquor, protozoal motility

and ruminal microflora were significantly different from
apparently healthy group of goats (Table 1) which are in
agreement with the observation of Prasad et al. (1976);
Radostits et al.( 2007). Ruminal pH of diseased goats was
significantly lower than apparently healthy group of goats which
might be due to excess accumulation of lactic acid in rumen
(Smith, 2002; Hajikolaei et al., 2006; Radostits et al., 2007;
Ceroni et al., 2012). Acidic rumem pH not only adversely affects
rumen motility but also rumen microbes and promotes the
formation of toxic amines (Radostits et al., 2007). Rumen liquor
smear of acidotic goats revealed preponderance of gram
positive flora as also reported by Dirkson (1970) in cow. Among
haematological parameters there was a significant increase
in Hb, PCV and TLC values as compared to control group of
goats (Table 2) which could be attributed to haemocencentration
due to loss of intra vascular water in rumen (Lal et al., 1992;
Meglia et al., 2001; Morgante et al., 2004; Gozho et al., 2007;
Morgante et al., 2007 and Ceroni et al., 2012).
A significant increase in ALT and AST might be due to
hepatocellular damage as a result of toxic products like alcohol,
histamine, thiaminase and other endotoxins produced in
rumen epithelium and entering the portal circulation (Radostits
et al., 2007). A significant increase in total protein, ALT and AST
was also reported by Cakala et al. (1974) and Patra and Swarup
(1996) in acidotic sheep. Significant increase in serum sodium
level and decrease in serum potassium level might be due to
retention of sodium and excess excretion of potassium by the
kidney which were agreement with Tremblay et al., 1991 and
Nilolob (1998). The excess accumulation of lactic acid in rumen
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subsequently absorbed into blood might be the reason for

increase blood lactic acid level Patra et al., 1996 and Hajikolaei
et al., 2006).
Acknowledgements
Authors are grateful to the Dean, Apollo College of
Veterinary Medicine, Jaipur for providing the requisite facilities.
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