ALOPECIA IN SHEEP DUE TO NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCY IN SOUTH SINAI
Dr. Eman A. El Ebissy*
ABSTRACT
This study was carried out on fourteen (14) sheep were housed in Raas Seder station in south Sinia. Among them, seven diseased sheep suffered from different degrees of alopecia, emaciation, lameness, and unthriftiness, as well as sharp decrease of body weight, were treated by using mineral mixture contains Copper, Zinc, Manganese, Iron, and Selenium which were added on the ration and drinking water. Multivitamins were also injected and the affected alopecic areas were treated topically by Thyme oil. Blood samples were collected for estimation of blood picture and biochemical analysis before and after treatment for the diseased sheep as well as for healthy sheep as control group. Alopecic sheep showed a significant decrease of haemoglobin and erythrocytic count, while total leucocytic count did not change significantly. Differential leucocytic count indicated a non significant decrease of lymphocytes and a non-significant increase of neutrophils in comparsion to control and treated groups. Biochemical examination revealed that there were significant decrease in copper, zinc, manganese, iron, total protein, albumin and globulin in diseased ewes when compared to control and treated groups. On the other hand, there was a significant increase in serum ALT, AST and urea. It was concluded that alopecia commonly occurs due to multiple trace element deficiencies, particularly copper and zinc. The use of supplementation is recommended to support the maintenance of mineral status in homeostasis and the reproductive performance of sheep. Thyme oil can be used as aromatherapy for treating alopecia by improving scalp blood circulation. Sheep breeder must pay attention to and give balanced ration to prevent alopecia.
Keywords: Alopecia, Sheep, Mineral Deficiency, Thyme Oil, Sinai.
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