Water intoxication occurs when excessive quantities of water are ingested by thirsty animals especially those that have been subjected to severe exercise or high environmental temperatures.
WATER INTOXICATION
Definition:
Water intoxication is a condition that occurs when excessive quantities of water are ingested by very thirsty animals especially that have been subjected to severe exercise or high environmental temperatures. (All ages).
Calves are the most commonly affected animals.
(i) Young bucket-fed calves usually drink excessive quantities of water if it is offered to them in the manner in which they usually receive their milk. Under such circumstances, the limit of their consumption is governed not by satiety, but by the physical limit of the capacity of the gut.
(ii) High ruminal capacity to hold ingested water as compared with total body size.
(iii) Dehydration accompanied by increased environmental temperature, exercise, or increased body water loss due to diarrhea or fever
(iv) Calves in an oliguric state or those that fail to rapidly develop diuresis after water overloading.
(v) Failure to provide calves with both water and salts from as early as 2 weeks of age to weaning.
(vi) Age: Haemoglobinuria is found most frequently in calves 3–5 months of age.
(viii) In adult cattle, dehydration is due to prolonged failure of water supply, accompanied by increased environmental temperature.
They develop chronic oliguria and fail to rapidly develop diuresis after water overloading.
History
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.
In adult cattle, beef herds are raised on rangelands that have no water supply, followed by excess supply.
Clinical signs
In a group of calves, water intoxication may be manifested in all or only a few of the animals.
(i) Haemoglobinuria.
(ii) Nervous signs (hyperaesthesia, muscular tremors, nystagmus and lethargy).
Mild cases recover in 3–4
