Vitamin A deficiency in drought-fed sheep

Abstract

Vitamin A deficiency was observed in sheep that had been maintained for 55 weeks on grain-based diets. Mean (± S.E.) plasma and liver vitamin A levels were 6.1 ± 5.7 µg/100 ml and 23.9 ± 33.0 µg/g respectively. When the sheep were treated with vitamin A or transferred to green pasture, deficiency signs disappeared rapidly and after five weeks, mean vitamin A had increased to 23.3 ± 5.7 µ/100 ml in plasma, and after nine weeks to 179.5 ± 42.5 µg/g in liver.