Role of Cationic and Anionic Feeding in Farm Animals (original) (raw)

Variation in dietary cation-anion differences (DCAD) of feed ingredients in relation to milk fever disease in dairy cattle

Ukrainian Journal of Ecology, 2018

Milk fever is an important disease that affect lactating cow due to the shortage of calcium circulation after parturition. Incidence of milk fever can be minimized by changing diet acidity/alkalinity before parturition to enhance Ca release of bone, and minimizing it excretion through several regulatory mechanisms. However, cow’s regulatory mechanisms are inadequate in its ability to satisfy the increased metabolic requirement of calcium. Many formulas have been suggested in literature for calculating Dietary Cation-Anion Differences (DCAD) in attempts to acidify diets to minimize the incidence of milk fever. Thus, selection of feed ingredients, and used formula (DCAD below 0 mEq/kg) are important when formulating diet to reach appropriate acidification of the cows’ blood. The aim of current study is to characterize and to measure DCAD of different feed ingredients (Listed in: National Research Council (NRC, 2001)) using the most used equations reported in the literature which are h...

Relative Acidifying Activity of Anionic Salts Commonly Used to Prevent Milk Fever

Journal of Dairy Science, 2004

High cation diets can cause milk fever in dairy cows as they induce a metabolic alkalosis reducing the ability of the cow to maintain calcium homeostasis at the onset of lactation. Adding anions to the diet can offset the effect of the high cation forages by inducing a mild metabolic acidosis, restoring the ability to maintain calcium homeostasis. The difference in mEq of dietary cations and anions (DCAD) is most often expressed as (Na + + K +) − (Cl-+ S-). This equation implies that a mEq of chloride and a mEq of sulfate are equipotent in their ability to alter acid-base balance of the cow. Using blood and urine pH to monitor effects on acidbase balance, experiments were conducted to test the relative acidifying activity of various sulfate and chloride anion sources in nonpregnant, nonlactating Jersey cows. Across all experiments, chloride proved to have about 1.6 times the acidifying activity of sulfate. Calcium and magnesium, ignored by the common DCAD equation, had a small but significant alkalinizing effect when accompanying chloride or sulfate. The ranking of the anion sources tested at a dose of 2 Eq/ d, from most to least potent urine acidifier, was hydrochloric acid, ammonium chloride, calcium chloride, calcium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, and sulfur. These data should allow more accurate prediction of the response of late gestation cows to dietary cation-anion manipulation.

Minerals and Electrolytes Status in Cows Fed on Rations Supplemented with Anionic Salts in Pre-Partum Period in Prevention of Milk Fever

International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences

Eighteen animals were engaged for therapeutic trial with three groups (Group 1; Control, Group 2; Mixture of Ammonium Chloride and Calcium Sulphate at 1:1 ratio and Group 3; Commercial salts preparation, Hyporid™) containing six animals each. The efficacy of various anionic salt preparations was determined on the basis of haemato-biochemical changes and incidence of milk fever after calving. Dietary Cation-Anion Difference (DCAD) concentration in control group was positive (+25.22 mEq/100gm of dry matter). After adding anionic salt preparation DACD concentrations were negative in both Group 2 (-11.44 mEq/100gm of dry matter) and Group 3 (-8.26 mEq/100gm of dry matter). In this therapeutic study, milk fever incidence rate was 33.33% (2/6) in control group whereas no occurrence of milk fever was reported in Group 2 and Group 3. The mean value of calcium, phosphorus, chloride and sulphate was significantly lower (p<0.05) with significant increase (p<0.05) in mean value of magnesium and sodium in Group 1 compared to Group 2 and Group 3 after calving.

Effects of Dietary Cation-Anion Difference on Intake, Milk Yield, and Blood Components of the Early Lactation Cow

Journal of Dairy Science, 2005

Early lactation Holsteins cows (15 primiparous and 18 multiparous) were offered rations with dietary cation-anion difference, calculated as mEq (Na + K − Cl − S)/100 g of feed dry matter (DCAD:S), of 20, 35, or 50 mEq from d 0 (calving) to 42 d postpartum (August 20, 2000 to January 9, 2001 to determine the effects of increasing DCAD:S on dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield, and blood metabolites. For DCAD:S of 20, 35, and 50, DMI was 3.30, 3.38, 2.96 kg/100 kg of body weight (BW); milk yield was 25.5, 24.2, and 22.4 kg/d, respectively. No differences were observed for concentration or yield of milk fat or milk protein. Serum Ca, P, Mg, Na, K, Cl, cation-anion difference, insulin, and glucose did not differ with DCAD. Serum HCO 3 − was 26.07, 25.88, and 27.64 mEq/L for 20, 35, and 50 DCAD:S. Serum Ca, Mg, Na, and K concentrations were greater for primiparous cows (9.52 mg/dL, 2.35 mg/dL, 140.03 mEq/L, 4.66 mEq/L, respectively) than for multiparous cows (9.27 mg/dL, 2.12 mg/dL, 137.63 mEq/L, 4.46 mEq/ L, respectively). A DCAD:S between 23 and 33 mEq/ 100 g of dry matter (DM) appears to be adequate during cool weather for the milk yield that occurred in the present study based on DMI (kg/100 kg of BW), whereas DCAD:S of 50 mEq/100 g of DM may be excessive and could be too alkaline or unpalatable, resulting in decreased DMI (kg/100 kg of BW). (Key words: dietary cation-anion difference, lactation, dry matter intake, milk yield)

Effects of anionic salts supplementation on blood pH and mineral status, energy metabolism, reproduction and production in transition dairy cows

Research in Veterinary Science, 2010

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of a pre-partum diet with lower than recommended (DCAD = À82 mEq/kg of dietary DM) amounts of anionic salts on metabolism, health, reproductive performance and milk production in dairy cows. Sixty Holstein multiparous cows were enrolled 21 days prior to expected calving date. The animals were randomly assigned to receive one of two rations: 30 cows received anionic ration [À82 mEq (NA + K À Cl À S)/kg of DM] for 21 d to parturition and the other group (n = 30) were fed a usual dry period ration (+192 mEq/kg of DM). Serum samples obtained at days À21, +3 and +21 relative to calving were analyzed for b-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), glucose, calcium (Ca), inorganic phosphorus, magnesium, chloride, sodium, potassium, cholesterol, urea, creatinine, total protein, albumin, and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Urine pH declined from 8.4 at 21 d before calving (pre-treatment) to 6.2 at day 7 pre-partum in the treatment group. Repeated-measure mixed model analysis indicated that the concentrations of Ca were significantly increased and creatinine, and AST were significantly decreased by lowering DCAD. The concentrations of BHBA, NEFA and glucose were not affected by treatment. The incidence of milk fever and culling were 5 and 11 times higher in the control group in comparison with the treatment group, respectively. The intervals from calving to first breeding and to pregnancy were not influenced by treatment. There was no group effect on average daily milk yield or fat percentage.

Dietary cation-anion difference and the health and production of pasture-fed dairy cows. 1. Dairy cows in early lactation

Journal of dairy science, 2003

Diets offered to lactating dairy cows in the pasture-based dairy systems in southeastern Australia can vary in their dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) from 0 to +76 mEq/100 g. The effects of such a range of DCAD on the health and production of cows, on a predominantly pasture-based diet, were examined in an indoor feeding experiment. Four groups of five cows were offered a diet of 5 kg of barley and ad libitum pasture, which is a diet representative of what is offered to cows in early lactation in the region. The cows were supplemented twice daily, with varying levels of salt combinations to alter the DCAD, which ranged from +21 to +127 mEq/100 g. Although a reduction in DCAD to +21 mEq/100 g caused a nonrespiratory systemic acidosis, there was a threshold value, above which blood and urine pH did not appear affected, although the strong ion difference of blood and urine and the blood bicarbonate concentration increased linearly (P < 0.05, 0.001, and 0.01, respectively). A D...

Cation-based mineral supplement to prevent acidosis in dairy animals of Karnal district

Negative energy balance must be minimized to improve health and fertility. Dairy animals with high genetic potentials are required to be fed on maintained and high concentrate diets to fulfil their nutritional requirements. Suddenly changing the feed from fodder to concentrates of pregnant dairy animals leads to rumen acidosis. The rumen pH comes down to 5.2 (normal 6.5 to 7.0) and this is not favorable for proper feed digestion hence called Rumen acidosis. At this pH, all rumen bacteria which helps in digestion die. Dietary cation and anion difference (DCAD) based ration feeding is another way to balance the acid-base chemistry of the dairy animals which can be altered by manipulating major anion and cation inclusion in diet. Study was designed with randomized controlled trial (RCT) design. A total of 300 farmers were selected for study after complete enumeration of seven villages. Out of 300 farmers, 210 most desirable farmers were selected for the study. A 12% increase in milk in case of buffaloes and 14.50% increase in case of cows of treated group was obtained. The net income to variable cost was more in case of buffalo rearing farmers' (`17025) than cow rearing farmers' (`13437).

Impact of lowering dietary cation-anion difference in nonlactating dairy cows: a meta-analysis

Journal of dairy science, 2006

A meta-analysis of previous studies was performed to clarify the response of prepartum dairy cows to lowering dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) and to compare different equations that have been proposed to calculate DCAD. Twenty-two published studies containing 75 treatment groups met criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Five different equations used to calculate DCAD were compared for their association with clinical milk fever and urinary pH. The DCAD equation (Na + K) - (Cl + 0.6 S) was the most highly associated with clinical milk fever (R(2) = 0.44) and urinary pH (R(2) = 0.85). Lowering DCAD reduced clinical milk fever but also reduced DM intake. Lowered DCAD was associated with reduced urinary pH, blood bicarbonate, and blood CO(2), suggesting a metabolic acidosis with respiratory compensation. Blood pH was very slightly lowered by lowered DCAD. Lowering DCAD increased ionized Ca in blood before and at calving. The model predicted that lowering DCAD from +300 to 0...

Effect of Anionic Salt and Highly Fermentable Carbohydrate Supplementations on Urine pH and on Experimentally Induced Hypocalcaemia in Cows

2004

Effect of anionic salt and highly fermentable carbohydrate supplementations on urine pH and on experimentally induced hypocalcaemia in cows. Acta vet. scand. 2004, 45, 139-147.-The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of dietary grain on calcium homeostasis. Six rumen-fistulated dairy cows with 3 or more previous lactations and no history of parturient paresis were randomly assigned to a sequence of diets in a crossover study with 4 periods of 10 days each. Dietary treatments were: A control ration consisting of wrap grass silage alone (1), the control ration supplemented with ammonium chloride and ammonium sulphate salt solution (2), control ration following a period with supplementation (3) and control ration supplemented with increasing amounts of barley from 4 to 10 kg/cow per day, expected to produce subclinical rumen acidosis (4). Daily intake of the diets was adjusted to 14 kg DM/cow per day. On day 11, the calcium-regulating mechanisms in cows were challenged until recumbency by a standardized intravenous EDTA infusion and cows were left to recover spontaneously. Anion supplementation and the feeding of highly fermentable carbohydrate lowered urine pH below 7.0 due to subclinical acidosis. During spontaneous recovery from EDTA induced hypocalcaemia, the cows more quickly regained a whole blood free calcium concentration of 1.00 mmol/L if they had most recently been supplemented with either anionic salts or with increasing amounts of barley, as compared to the basic ration. It is concluded that so-called slug-feeding or 'steaming up' with highly fermentable carbohydrates before parturition in milk fever susceptible cows enhanced calcium homeostasis similar to the effect seen in cows on anionic diets.