Effect of water deprivation and season on feed intake, body weight and thermoregulation in Awassi and Najdi sheep breeds in Saudi Arabia

The effect of water-restriction on various physiological variables in intensively reared Lacaune ewes

“…The reduction of respiratory acts under water restriction is one of many defence mechanisms which the animal employs to prevent the loss of water and dehydration through pulmonary evaporation. Alamer and Al-Hozab (2004) also observed a significant reduction in respiratory rate in Awassi and Najdi sheep, subjected to water deprivation for three days. Al-Ramamneh et al (2012), in experiments carried out on water-restricted Boer goats and black-head sheep in an arid environment, reported a significant decrease in the respiratory rate only for sheep; Dmi'el (1986) observed a 50% increase in respiratory rate after water deprivation for 72 h during the summer, in experiments conducted on Bedouin desert goats.…”

“…In similar previous studies on sheep, goats and cattle (Burgos et al 2001;Mengistu et al 2007;Casamassima et al 2008;Ghanem et al 2008) similar variations in sodium and chlorine in response to increased restrictions in water were reported. Other authors (Rawda 2003;Hanna 2006;Ghanem et al 2008) reported a strong influence of water intake on sodium ion concentrations in sheep plasma; the reduction of plasma volume in response to water restriction causes an increase in blood plasma osmolality, and leads to the concentration of electrolytes in plasma (Qinisa et al 2011), in particular, an increase in sodium and chlorine ions as has been reported by different authors for sheep and goats (Alamer 2005;Jacob et al 2006;Karnib 2009). …”

“…Osbaldiston (1971) reported that hypovolaemia due to water insufficiency is expected to cause a decrease in renal blood flow, thus leading to a decreased filtration rate; in fact, 95% of creatinine, the final metabolite of creatine, is of muscular origin and it is excreted by the kidneys in proportion to the muscle mass and to its rate of proteolysis. When kidney water stress leading to slower glomerular filtration and reabsorption of urea excretion affects kidney excretion function (Keenan and Allardyce 1986;Igbokwe 1993;Silanikove 2000;Marini et al 2004;Kataria and Kataria 2007), the blood creatinine levels increase, as noted in similar experiments on sheep (Alamer 2005;Hamadeh et al 2006). Laden et al (1987) reported an increased creatinine value of 88% in five days water-restricted Awassi sheep, while Abd El-latif et al (1997) reported an increase of 13% in blood levels of creatinine after three days of water restriction in Barki sheep.…”

Effect of water restriction on drinking behaviour and water intake in German black-head mutton sheep and Boer goats

“…Thus, these animals have developed various behavioural, morphological and physiological adaptation mechanisms to enable them to survive, and in particular, to tolerate dehydration (Kay, 1997;Atti et al, 2000;Alamer and Al-hozab, 2004;Hamadeh et al, 2006). Compared with most other mammals, where losses of water over 15% of body mass can be fatal (Shkolnik et al, 1980), ruminants are able to tolerate water losses of up to 18%, 20%, 25% and more than 40% of their body mass as reported for cattle, sheep, camels and Bedouin goats, respectively (Shkolnik et al, 1980).…”

Seasonal Effect of Vitamin C, Electrolyte and Jaggery Supplementation on Body Weight of Goats Transported at Different Flocking Density

“…Warriss (1993) reported that animal loss weight when they are subjected to greater energy demand such as those needed to maintain thermoregulation in transport. Alamer and Al-Hozab (2004) found that variations in body weight loss of sheep during winter, spring and summer seasons, was mostly contributed to body water loss as related to differences in environmental temperature. The greatest body loss that was observed during summer was in association with respiratory and cutaneous water losses.…”