Influence of Dietary Cation-Anion Balance on Milk, Blood, Urine, and Rumen Fluid in Lactating Dairy Cattle

Abstract

Twelve lactating Holstein cows were blocked according to age and milk production into groups of three cows and assigned to three 4 x 4 Latin squares in a split-plot design with subtreatments. Treatments on each square were four diets formulated to provide -10, 0, +10, or +20 meq/Na + K) -Cl/100 g diet DM. The four balances were achieved on squares 1, 2, and 3 by manipulating Na, K, and Cl, respectively. Actual milk yield was 8.6% higher on +20 than -10 averaged across the three squares. Blood pH and bicarbonate increased linearly with dietary cation-anion balance. Rumen pH increased linearly with dietary cation-anion balance, but fermentation patterns were largely unaffected. Urine pH increased linearly and quadratically with increasing dietary cation-anion balance. Square times balance response differences proved nonsignificant for all parameters except blood bicarbonate and rumen isovalerate, indicating responses could be attributed to the dietary cation-anion balance itself rather than to the effects of a single ion. Regulation of dietary cation-anion balance may become a useful tool for improving the performance of lactating dairy cattle.

Efeito do balanço cátion-aniônico da dieta no equilíbrio ácido-básico e metabolismo de minerais em vacas lactantes da raça Holandesa em ambiente quente

“…As amostras de sangue foram mantidas em refrigeração até a análise, realizada em período máximo de duas horas após a coleta. A urina foi coletada conforme Valadares et al (1997) e analisada para pH, Ca, P, Mg, Na, K, Cl e Creatinina.…”

Effect of dietary Ca manipulation, anionic salts and supplemental vitamin D3 on calcium homeostasis of finishing steers

“…In contrast, there was a time effect on feed intake, which corresponds with increasing level of anionic salt supplementation. Anionic salts are considered unpalatable (Oetzel et al 1991), and have been shown to depress feed intake in dairy cattle (Tucker et al 1988(Tucker et al , 1992Gaynor et al 1989). The depression in intake appears to be related to alteration of the normal acid-base balance of the animal (Block 1984;Leclerc and Block 1989;Horst et al 1997).…”

Effects of dietary cation-anion balance on acid base balance and blood parameters in anaerobically exercised horses

“…Block (1984) Tucker et al (1988) in that blood pH and HC03-were lowered by supplementation of dietary chloride and sulfur. Further, urinary hydrogen concentration was lowered by reducing DCAB with either chloride or sulfur.…”

“…The effect of DCAB on calcium excretion in the urine is shown in Table V (Topliff et al, 1989;Wall et al, 1992;and Baker et al, 1993), dairy cattle (Tucker et al, 1988) and rabbits (Thacker, 1959) .…”

“…There has been many significant studies concerning the effects of DCAB on production performance in dairy cattle (Block,1984;Tucker et al 1988, Beighle et al 1990). In 1977, Kellaway et al studied NaCl or NaHC03 supplementation in diets of dairy calves.…”