What happens in the foetus/neonate and young growing animal?
Copper deficiency during pregnancy can result in the birth of offspring with congenital disease of the nervous system. This situation is most common in lambs. In addition neonatal lambs, apparently normal at birth, often express neurologic disease at any time between 1 week and several months of age. This delayed effect is still an expression of the copper-deficient state of the dam. In goat kids and piglets, such delayed disease is well documented, but congenital disease is rare. The terms swayback and enzootic ataxia are frequently used in reference to these diseases. Young animals may also suffer osteoporosis (bone fragility) and anaemia.
