Use of sodium bicarbonate, offered free choice or blended into the ration, to reduce the risk of ruminal acidosis in cattle

Abstract

. and von Keyserlingk, M. A. G. 2006. Use of sodium bicarbonate, offered free choice or blended into the ration, to reduce the risk of ruminal acidosis in cattle. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 86: 429-437. A study was conducted to determine whether feeding sodium bicarbonate (SB) reduces the risk of subacute ruminal acidosis in cattle fed high concentrate feedlot finishing diets. The experiment was conducted as a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design with two squares and 2-wk periods. Three mature, non-lactating Holstein cows were allocated to square 1 and three mature Jersey steers were allocated to square 2. The cattle were ruminally cannulated and gradually adapted to a high concentrate diet before starting the experiment. The basal diet contained approximately 80% stream-rolled barley, on a dry matter (DM) basis, and was offered for ad libitum intake. Treatments were: control (no SB), control diet with cattle given free choice access to a SB mixture consisting of 70% SB and 30% dried molasses (free choice SB), and control diet supplemented with SB (7 g SB kg -1 DM; mixed SB). Ruminal pH was measured at the end of each 14-d period for 3 continuous days using an indwelling pH system. Dry matter intake (DMI) was not affected by treatment. However, SB intake depended upon type of cattle and method of provision (P = 0.04); cows had higher SB intake when it was mixed into the diet (57.8 vs. 17.4 g d -1 ), whereas steers had higher SB intake when SB was provided free choice (129.1 vs. 56.1 g d -1 ). Ruminal pH characteristics (mean, maximum, minimum, hours, and area under a threshold pH of 5.8 or 5.5) were not affected by treatment. Although neither method of delivering SB reduced the total time each day that pH was below the pH thresholds used to indicate subacute ruminal acidosis, the number of long (> 4 h) continuous bouts of acidosis (pH ≤ 5.8) was reduced (P = 0.01) when SB was mixed into the ration compared with the control. When offered free choice, intake of SB was highly variable among animals and from day-to-day and was inversely correlated to DMI. However, there was no correlation between SB intake and ruminal pH indicating that, when given the opportunity, cattle did not select SB to help prevent ruminal acidosis. Providing SB, either free choice or mixed into the ration, did not eliminate subacute ruminal acidosis in cattle fed high-grain diets. However, mixing SB into the ration reduced the number of long bouts of ruminal acidosis, which could potentially reduce the negative consequences of ruminal acidosis on feed digestion. Les auteurs ont entrepris une étude pour savoir si le fait de donner du bicarbonate de sodium (BS) aux bovins en parc d'engraissement recevant une ration riche en concentrés réduirait le risque d'acidose subaigüe du rumen. L'expérience s'est déroulée en double carré latin de 3 x 3 comprenant deux enclos et deux périodes de deux semaines. Trois vaches Holstein matures non en lactation ont été placées dans le premier enclos tandis que le second accueillait trois bouvillons Jersey matures. Les ...

Effect of acarbose on acute acidosis

“…Similarly, SARA-challenged cows did not show a preference for water with sodium bicarbonate added (Cottee et al, 2004). Nonchallenged cows showed no preference for sodium bicarbonate mixed in the ration or offered free choice, although the former reduced the number of long bouts of acidosis per day (Paton et al, 2006).…”

“…Several methods have been used in attempts to control acidosis. Sodium bicarbonate is commonly added to rations, but the effect on pH is variable depending on experimental conditions (e.g., Hu and Murphy 2005;Paton et al, 2006). Monensin is added to almost all feedlot rations to improve feed efficiency with benefits of reducing acidosis likely due to decreased intake; however, effects on pH are only moderate or not observed under experimental conditions (Mutsvangwa et al, 2002;Benchaar et al, 2006).…”

Feeding behavior and ruminal pH of corn silage, barley grain, and corn dried distillers' grain offered in a total mixed ration or in a free-choice diet to beef cattle1

“…Previous studies reported that ruminants allowed to choose among ingredients were able to select diets according to their needs (Atwood et al, 2001;Moya et al, 2011). However, research that measured ruminal pH in relation to selection of dietary ingredients has not substantiated this claim (Keunen et al, 2003;Paton et al, 2006). However, research that measured ruminal pH in relation to selection of dietary ingredients has not substantiated this claim (Keunen et al, 2003;Paton et al, 2006).…”

Changes in feed intake, nutrient digestion, plasma metabolites, and oxidative stress parameters in dairy cows with subacute ruminal acidosis and its regulation with pelleted beet pulp

“…Several dietary strategies proposed for use in preventing SARA, such as sodium bicarbonate and monensin, have been studied [12,13]. However, neither of these methods has consistently maintained higher rumen pH values.…”