CLINICO-THERAPEUTICAL TRIALS OF LACTIC ACIDOSIS IN SMALL RUMINANTS

The present study was designed to investigate the clinical parameters of goats during lactic acidosis and then response to different therapeutic agents. For this purpose, two hundred goats with the history of diarrhoea were examined at outdoor hospital, University of Veterinary and Animal sciences Lahore. A total of 38 animals were found positive for lactic acidosis showing 19 % prevalence of disease. For therapeutic study the thirty diseased animals were divided into three groups A, B, C comprising of 10 animals each. Goats in group A were given Magnesium Hydroxide at 1.11g/kg b.wt, while those in group B were fed Sodium bicarbonate at 1g/Kg wt. Animal in group C were maintained as untreated diseased. Ten healthy animals were maintained as control (group D). The rectal temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, rumen pH, serum pH and protozoa motility test were performed before and after treatment. It was found that treatment of group A has significant effect on rumen pH and serum pH. The temperature, pulse and respiration rate were turned to normal range after treatment. It was concluded that lactic acidosis is a common disease of goats and its severity can be effectively reduced by using magnesium hydroxide at the dose rate of 1.11g/Kg orally.