Cud spilling in sheep

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Cud spilling or broken cud is a colloquial term for an abnormality in sheep. We typically notice dark staining around the bottom lip and jaw when the sheep is eating or chewing their cud. Affected sheep are usually culled and definitely not breed with as they usually do not grow or thrive well. But what causes cud spilling and how come it is such a mystery?

What causes the staining?

The staining around the mouth is due to the animal dribbling saliva and ingesta during rumination. This is most likely from an inability to control the cud efficiently. Although the nature of cud spilling is generally not understood very well in either farming or research circles there is one piece of research on the topic in the archives which we can look at to shed some light on the mystery.

WIB Beveridge researched cud spilling. His research was reported in The Australian Veterinary Journal in 1936, eight out of the 13 cases examined were due to partial or complete absence of the free end of the tongue. Of the five remaining cases that Beveridge looked at, two showed no obvious structural abnormality, one had deformed cheek teeth and one had a cyst in the pharynx and one had an old fracture of the mandible (jaw bone).

Beveridge concluded that the staining was most commonly caused by the partial or complete absence of the free end of the tongue. He noted that the amount of staining varied as did the degree of deformity of the tongue. The cause of the deformity of the tongue is not known. Interestingly in Beveridge’s paper he suggested that the tongue issues may have been caused by foxes who are partial to lamb’s tongue it seems.

Other causes or theories on cud spilling

Dysphagia is difficulty swallowing — taking more time and effort to move food or liquid from the mouth to the stomach. Dysphagia can be painful for the animal.

The technical word for cud spilling is that the sheep or lamb is dysphagic and drops it cud, this can arise for a number of reasons. It can be an indication of diseases of the teeth, gums, or conditions that would cause a sore mouth. Less commonly it has been seen in sheep with high stomach acidity or on poor feed. This arises because the acidic cud has a sharp pH, bad taste, or because of pain.

If you have a sheep who is dropping cud, then the first step would be for you/your vet to perform an oral examination. The teeth, soft tissues, and bone should be examined and palpated, as you need to check for dental disease but also inflammation or abscessation of the gums, ulcerations/lacerations/vesicles of the mucosa, changes to the tongue (for example, wooden tongue) and swellings of the bone (like lumpy jaw). The lymph nodes under the jaw should be checked as these can enlarge with infectious and inflammatory causes of oral disease.

The most common cause of throat injury is from improper use of a drench gun. Where anthelmintics have trace elements added, especially copper, the damaged throat lining can become ulcerated. Poor bolus administration can cause the same problem. Many with this injury do not improve.

Some suggest that lambs with cud spilling will grow out of it once their mouth and teeth have developed fully. Most stud breeders have zero tolerance and simply don’t risk it and cull from the first sight of cud spilling regardless.

So the jury is still out on what we and the researchers think causes cud spilling. What ideas do you have?

If you are interested you can find the full Beveridge article online at W

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