Prevalence of Ruminal Foreign Materials in Slaughtered Sheep and Goats at Yan Awaki Slaughter Slab, Sabon Gari Local Government Area, Kaduna State

Ruminal foreign body ingestion is a significant health concern in small ruminants, particularly in regions with inadequate waste disposal practices. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and types of foreign bodies found in the rumen of small ruminants slaughtered at the Yan Awaki slaughter slab in Sabon Gari LGA, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
A cross-sectional study was conducted involving post-mortem examination of 1,172 small ruminants, comprising 755 goats (Caprine) and 417 sheep (Ovine). The presence of polythene, sack materials, and metal objects in the rumen was recorded and analyzed based on species, sex, breed and type of the foreign materials. The overall prevalence of ruminal foreign bodies was 26.5%. Sheep exhibited a significantly higher prevalence (47.2%) than goats (14.0%). Female animals were more affected (33.8%) compared to males (15.4%), likely due to physiological stressors and prolonged retention by the owner. Breed-specific analysis revealed that Balami breed of sheep had the highest prevalence (50.00%), while Uda breed of sheep had the lowest prevalence (35.3%). The Sokoto red breed of goat had the highest prevalence (15.3%) while the West African Dwarf breed of goats had the lowest (7.9%). Polythene was the most common foreign body ingested (23.37%), followed by sack material (2.30%) and metal (0.09%).
The study highlights a high burden of ruminal foreign body ingestion among small ruminants, particularly sheep. This could be attributed to poor environmental sanitation, grazing habits, feed scarcity and nutritional deficiencies. Improved waste management, farmer sensitization, feed availability, mineral supplementation, and veterinary monitoring are recommended to mitigate the problem and enhance animal productivity.