Nutritional Deficiency and Excess

Deficiency disorders are the result of an inadequate supply of minerals, vitamins or trace elements. Typical examples would be copper deficiency or vitamin A deficiency. Deficiencies may be either primary, when there is a specific lack of nutrient in the diet, such as vitamin A, or secondary, when some factor interferes with the uptake of a nutrient.

Disease can also occur as a result of ingestion of an excess of some feedingstuffs. The most common example would be overeating syndrome, where cattle gain access to a compound feed store and develop acidosis, which is an excessive fermentation of starch in the rumen.