Abstract
Abstract Pica is often considered a nutritional disorder of cattle and other farm animals, but the etiology is controversial. Roles for the shortage or imbalance of some nutritional elements have been debated. This study was conducted to evaluate serum variations of some electrolyte, mineral, and protein factors in cattle with pica. After history taking and clinical examination, of the 285 referred native cows, 15 with an ongoing history of pica were included as the pica group. Fifteen healthy-looking cows without pica were randomly chosen as the control. Serum levels of Ca, P, Mg, Na, Cl, K, Cu, Zn, Fe, total protein, albumin, urea, and ferritin were quantified. Body condition score and any deformity of the legs of the cows in the study were visually determined. The prevalence rate of pica was 5.96%. Six out of 15 of the cows with pica (40%) had deformation of the legs associated with hypophosphatemia (1.82 ± 0.7 mg/dL). Profound hypophosphatemia and hypochloremia were seen in all diseased cattle. There was no significant difference between serum values of copper, zinc, total protein, albumin, and urea between the 2 groups. The serum ferritin and iron concentration of pica group was also lower than those of control group ( P
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
