Improved feed intake and body weight change in sheep treated with dexamethasone at entry into pens or feedlots

Treatment with the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone sodium phosphate increased the feed intake of sheep within 24 h. A single treatment with the longer-acting compound dexamethasone trimethylacetate had a slower effect, but resulted in improved feed intake and enhanced body weight gain over a period of 7 to 14 days. Treatment was effective in sheep housed individually and in sheep penned in groups. The improvement in body weight gain disappeared 15 to 20 days after a single treatment, but in most studies treated sheep had less variability in weight change than untreated sheep at this time. A statistically significant increase in body weight gain was observed in 8 of 11 trials; in the other 3 trials, it appeared that the feed intake of the untreated sheep was already maximal. Wethers treated with dexamethasone trimethylacetate on arrival at an assembly point for live export arrived in the Middle East 23 days later with a lower mean weight loss, partly because fewer sheep lost a significant amount of weight.