Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Ketosis is a metabolic disorder characterized by impaired carbohydrate metabolism, leading to hypoglycemia, ketonemia, and ketonuria.
While bovine ketosis typically occurs during peak lactation, ovine ketosis (pregnancy toxemia or twin lamb disease) occurs during late gestation.
The pathophysiological differences in these energy demands result in a much poorer prognosis for sheep.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Ovine ketosis (pregnancy toxemia) occurs in pregnant ewes during the last 2 to 4 weeks of gestation, particularly those carrying multiple fetuses (twins or triplets).
During this period, the rapidly growing fetuses demand large amounts of glucose.
If the ewe's dietary energy intake is insufficient, she enters a severe negative energy balance.
To compensate, the ewe mobilizes body fat reserves, leading to hepatic lipidosis and the production of ketone bodies (acetoacetate and \(\beta\)-hydroxybutyrate).
Unlike cows, which can often be treated successfully by supplementing glucose or propylene glycol, pregnant ewes suffer from profound, prolonged hypoglycemia.
The brain depends almost exclusively on glucose as an energy source.
Prolonged, severe hypoglycemia leads to cerebral glucose starvation, resulting in encephalopathy.
This causes degenerative changes in the cerebral cortex, leading to cortical necrosis and irreversible brain damage.
Once the ewe develops advanced neurological signs (such as blindness, head pressing, tremors, and recumbency), she fails to respond to glucose therapy or even caesarean section because the neurological damage is already irreversible.
Therefore, the prognosis of ovine ketosis is highly unfavorable compared to bovine ketosis due to this irreversible brain damage.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct option is (C).