An incident of water intoxication in calves

Water intoxication in cattle : continuing education

“…In cattle, the condition has been reported to occur in all ages, but it is more common among calves 2-10 months of age and is most frequent in calves 3-5 months of age 2,7,8,29 . All breeds of cattle are affected.…”

“…In severely affected animals, lethargy may progress to depression and coma, and death occurs in 24-48 hours 11,15,20,22 . In some cases haemoglobinuria is the only clinical sign observed 22,29 ; in others, the nervous signs predominate and haemoglobinuria is not detected 7,9 . Additional signs include hypothermia, salivation, severe ruminal tympany, colic, diarrhoea, arrhythmia, oedema of the eyelids and erection of body hair 7,11,15,20 .…”

“…In some cases haemoglobinuria is the only clinical sign observed 22,29 ; in others, the nervous signs predominate and haemoglobinuria is not detected 7,9 . Additional signs include hypothermia, salivation, severe ruminal tympany, colic, diarrhoea, arrhythmia, oedema of the eyelids and erection of body hair 7,11,15,20 . In adult cattle, water intoxication is manifested clinically by haemoglobinuria.…”

“…Animals are exposed to a water source where they drink ad libitum after a long period of restriction and they then start voiding 'bloody' urine. The farmer may report having raised calves on milk or milk substitutes alone, without access to additional water, followed by either unlimited water supply or an automatic water source 7,8,29 . One or 2 calves are usually involved on small-holder farms, while several may be involved on large beef and dairy farms 29 .…”

“…Subsequently, naturally occurring cases have been reported in man 12,17,25 , sheep 1 , pigs 19 , camels 27 , calves [2][3][4][5][6][7]10,11,13,16,18,24,26,29 and adult cattle 8 . Calves are the most commonly affected animals 3 .…”