Thiamine Deficiency in the Lamb

Abstract

The performance of a group of 4 lambs, one to three days old, fed a “synthetic” milk diet deficient in thiamine, was compared to that of two positive controls. Those receiving the deficient diet developed anorexia, emaciation and somnolescence after about three weeks, followed by tetanic convulsions. These symptoms were rapidly abolished by the administration of thiamine. Transitory convulsive spasms were also obtained by injecting sodium pyruvate. The lambs receiving the same diet with thiamine added grew satisfactorily and appeared normal. The results obtained in this experiment support the conclusion that thiamine is an essential nutrient for the lamb.