Abortion in Small Ruminants

Abortion is a common complaint in veterinary practice and causes significant economic losses in small ruminants. This chapter starts with a presentation of a general approach to the investigation of abortion in sheep and goats. The key elements of the investigation discussed are history, examination of the aborting females, necropsy of the aborted fetuses, and examination of the placenta. The importance of laboratory diagnosis (gross pathology, histopathology, immunology, and microbiology) is emphasized. The etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, lesions, and preventive measures for each of the most common infectious and non-infectious causes of abortion are presented.