EVALUATION OF BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF BEEF CATTLE SUFFERING NATURAL UREA POISONING

Abstract

Urea poisoning is one of the leading causes of accidental poisoning in cattle herds. The presented study aimed to evaluate the clinical and biochemical findings of natural urea poisoning in Angus heifers.

Symptoms such as labored breathing, ataxia and spasms were observed in 4 animals in the 2 paddocks where the first feed was poured. Urea poisoning was suspected, serum and plasma samples were obtained from 4 sick animals(group GU) and 4 healthy animals located in different paddocks that had not yet consumed feed (group GC). Blood ammonia, albumin, Alkaline Phosphatase(ALP), Aspartate Aminotransferase(AST), Copper(Cu), β-Hydroxybutyric acid(BHBA), Blood urea nitrogen(BUN), Phosphorus, Gamma-glutamyltransferase(GGT), Glutamate dehydrogenase(GLDH), Glucose, Calcium(Ca), cholesterol, Magnesium(Mg), Non-esterified fatty acids(NEFA), Total Protein(TP) and Triglyceride(TG) analyzes were performed.

Although urea has been added to the ration at a dose of 30 g/animal for a long time, when it was investigated why poisoning was encountered, it was determined that the urea sacks got wet and the urea turned into stone and was not homogenized in the TMR. Rumen pH was determined to be above 8.5 in all poisoned animals. A difference was determined in average ammonia (GU=456 µmol/l; GC= 272 µmol/l), AST (GU=2.31 µkat/l; GC=1.26 µkat/l), Phosphorus (GU=7.6 mg/dl; GC=5.6 mg/dl), BUN (GU=30 mg/dl; GC= 26 mg/dl) and Triglyceride (GU=45.2mg/dl; GC=14.6 mg/dl) levels in the GU and GC groups.

Parameters such as AST, Phosphorus, Triglyceride and BUN, which do not require specific laboratory and sample storage requirements, such as ammonia, can be used to support the diagnosis of urea poisoning, which is frequently encountered in cattle herds.