Phosphatic fertiliser poisoning of sheep: experimental studies

The toxicity of serpentine phosphate and superphosphate for non-pregnant dry ewes, pregnant ewes and lactating ewes was investigated by oral dosing. An attempt was made to reproduce a natural episode of poisoning by exposing pregnant and lactating ewes to topdressed pasture. A total dose in the range of 1200 to 1800 g of serpentine phosphate was required to kill two ewes and it was concluded that natural episodes of poisoning with this material are unlikely. The toxic process was similar to that caused by superphosphate. The LD50 of superphosphate was estimated to be in the range of 5 to 6 g/kg and a dose in the range of 200 to 300 g was sufficient to kill most sheep. The apparently greater susceptibility of pregnant and lactating sheep to poisoning suggested by the study of natural outbreaks was not demonstrated in these experiments, but the numbers of experimental animals may have been too small to detect differing susceptibility. The clinical disease resembled that seen in natural episodes; anorexia, diarrhoea, progressive depression and death in a period of 5 to 8 days after the start of dosing. Sublethal doses produced a transient diarrhoea and, in two sheep, a severe wool-break. The principal biochemical changes were hyperphosphataemia and evidence of renal failure (oliguria, uraemia, azotaemia). Gross lesions were not consistently present but included abomasal ulceration and renal cortical swelling and pallor. The histopathological evidence of renal tubular obstruction by flocculant eosinophilic casts was characteristic.