Mitigation and animal response to water stress in small ruminants.

This article examines the effects of water stress on small ruminants, specifically sheep and goats, and the ways in which they adapt to or mitigate these effects. Water stress is often linked to heat stress and reduced feed intake, making it challenging to separate their individual impacts. Small ruminants, particularly those from regions with harsh conditions, are better equipped to handle water stress. Strategies to mitigate the effects of water stress are necessary to maintain animal production, and omics technologies can aid in understanding the biological mechanisms involved in adaptation. The article also explores the impact of water stress on productive traits, blood parameters, hematology, and the immune response of small ruminants. Nutritional strategies, such as providing high-quality diets and supplements, can help alleviate the effects of water stress. Most studies on the response to water stress in small ruminants have focused on breeds adapted to arid environments, which demonstrate high resilience. However, the mechanisms of adaptation and mitigation to water stress are complex. Research on strategies to mitigate water stress is limited, but supplements like antioxidants and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have been studied in the context of heat stress, could be explored for water stress conditions. Breeding strategies to select animals adapted to water scarcity are challenging to implement, but omics technologies could aid in identifying biological mechanisms and biomarkers associated with water stress tolerance. [Extracted from the article]