Chronic copper poisoning in sheep grazing pastures fertilized with swine manure

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association; (USA)

OSTI ID:5889071

Kerr, L A; McGavin, H D ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville (USA)

Several pregnant ewes developed an acute hemolytic crisis and died. Liver and kidney copper concentrations were high, confirming chronic copper poisoning as the cause of death. Feed and water samples that the affected ewes had been consuming did not contain excess copper. Because swine manure slurry had been applied to the pasture where the sheep had grazed, a copper analysis was conducted on soil and forage samples from this field. High copper concentrations were detected in the soil and forage samples from the slurry pasture. Most sheep producers are aware of the catastrophic consequences that result when feeds containing copper and insufficient amounts of molybdenum are fed to sheep. However, producers and veterinarians often are unaware of some of the subtle sources of copper. Most of the copper that is added to swine and poultry feeds as growth promotants passes through the gastrointestinal tract unabsorbed and remains in the waste material. Pastures that have copper-containing waste material, but no molybdenum applied, can produce the same fatal results as giving sheep feed supplemented with copper but containing no molybdenum.

• OSTI ID: 5889071
• Journal Information: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association; (USA) Vol. 198:1; ISSN JAVMA; ISSN 0003-1488
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540220 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AGRICULTURAL WASTES
ANIMAL FEEDS
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CONTAMINATION
COPPER
DOMESTIC ANIMALS
ELEMENTS
FOOD
FORAGE
MAMMALS
MANURES
METABOLISM
METALS
MOLYBDENUM
MONITORING
ORGANIC WASTES
RUMINANTS
SHEEP
SOILS
SWINE
TOXICITY
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
VERTEBRATES
WASTES