Effect of concurrent feeding of furazolidone and sodium chloride upon some clinical, pathological and cardiac morphometric parameters in broiler chicks.

Broiler chicks in different groups were fed furazolidone (0, 400 and 800 mg/kg feed) and sodium chloride (500 and 1510 mg/kg feed) separately and concurrently from 1 to 30 days of age. Furazolidone (Fz) induced ascites, leg weakness, convulsions, depression and mortality was exacerbated by concurrent feeding of 1510 mg NaCl. Hemorrhages in the liver, swollen kidneys, pallor of the kidneys and cystic testes were present in all birds fed furazolidone either alone or in combination with NaCl. However, at microscopic level, necrotic changes were observed in the liver and kidneys of birds fed NaCl only. Fz-induced cardiac ventricular dilatation and thinning of walls were more severe when 400 mg Fz was fed concurrently with 1510 mg NaCl but feeding of 800 mg Fz with the same level of NaCl resulted in partial amelioration of cardiac changes. It is suggested that high dietary NaCl may exacerbate and alter the clinical and morphological picture of Fz toxicosis.