# red urine



## WillfulGal (Oct 18, 2007)

I noticed a puddle of pee from one of my sheep--it was reddish and sweet-smelling. Is this normal? I have read where this is a sign of copper toxicity but the minerals they eat are supposed to be safe for sheep. I have not noticed any off behaviour--they all seem very healthy Their lower inner eyelids are a healthy, bright red.

They are on pasture with a handful of pelleted sheep feed daily as a treat, and a few bites of alfalfa cubes as treats, too. (Maybe 1 or 2 cubes between the 6 sheep)


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

maybe it is from not enough water and is very concentrated? or possibly blood from a urinary infection??


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

Do you supplement your feed with ammonium chloride??? Of course if you were to tell a USDA inspector you were using it for Urinary Calculi they would have to consider it a drug and since you were using off label they would quarentine your farm. Remember and repeat after me. The ammonium chloride is in the feed for a protein supplement (not a drug and perfectly legal). Same with Diatomnaceous Earth (DE). Its not for worming which makes it a drug with all of the above problems, it is in your feed as an ANTI-CAKING AGENT (perfectly legal). Its not what the substance is that makes it a drug, its what you say the substance is there for. this was just explained to me the other day from the Texas Office of The State CHemist who control all feed additives in Texas.

Do you reali9ze that it is ILLEGAL to re-use feed bags for more feed IF any medications are in the feed. Its illegal for you or the feed mill to do it.


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## WillfulGal (Oct 18, 2007)

Update: I think maybe they weren't getting enough water. The wethers are all peeing this morning,though I haven't noted the color. I have added another waterer so they always have close access and will start adding supplements to prvent UC.


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## emptycupranch (Jul 13, 2008)

With horses, sometimes depending on what they eat (in my experience alfalfa) their urine will turn red from proteins being oxidized -usually when it is cold out... I would think that the same happens with sheep?


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## WillfulGal (Oct 18, 2007)

Could be that, I guess, but they are just on pasture except for the tiny bits of alfalfa cubes they get--doesn't seem like that would be enough. Besides, they have always gotten the alfalfa cubes and I just started seeing this.

They have lots of water available now. I have been giving them a little more salt so they will drink more (not sure how much to give), but I am still se eing red urine. Otherwise, they seem fine.


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