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Effects of mild heat stress and grain challenge on acid-base balance and rumen tissue histology in lambs¹

N. E. Odongo^*, O. AlZahal^*, M. I. Lindinger, T. F. Duffield, E. V. Valdes, S. P. Terrell and B. W. McBride^*,2

^* Departments of Animal and Poultry Science, and Human Biology and Nutritional Sciences, and and Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1 Canada; and and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32837-1000

² Corresponding author: bmcbride{at}uoguelph.ca

The effect of heat stress (HS) and grain challenge (GC) on acid-base balance and rumen tissue histology in lambs was investigated using 24 yearling wether lambs (58 ± 4.5 kg of BW) in a 2 x 2 factorial experiment with repeated measures for day (10, 14, and 17) of sampling. The factors were temperature [thermoneutral zone (TN) vs. HS] and diet (control vs. GC). Lambs were blocked by BW and assigned to 1 of 4 treatments in temperature-controlled rooms: 1) TN (temperature = 18 to 20°C; relative humidity = 30%; 2) TN + GC; 3) HS (temperature = 35°C for 9 h/d, 20°C for 15 h/d; relative humidity = 40%); and 4) HS + GC. Venous blood samples were collected at 1800 on the first day of GC (d 10), in the middle of GC (d 14), and at the end of the trial (d 17) by jugular venipuncture and analyzed for pH, gases, hematocrit, plasma ions, and total protein. After all measurements in live animals were taken on d 17, lambs were slaughtered, and tissue samples were obtained from the ventral sac of the rumen for histological assessment. Except for the concentration of plasma glucose (P = 0.04) and total protein (P < 0.01), there were no (P > 0.05) diet x temperature interactions. With HS, the concentration of Na⁺ and Cl^– in the control group decreased at d 14 and then increased by d 17, and respiration rates in the control group decreased linearly (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, respiration rates and the concentration of Cl^– in the GC lambs increased linearly over time, whereas the concentration of Na⁺ decreased linearly (P < 0.05) across time. Under HS, the partial pressure of carbon dioxide, total carbon dioxide, the partial pressure of oxygen and oxygen saturation, and the concentration of Mg²⁺, glucose, and HCO₃^– showed quadratic (P < 0.05) responses with time. In both treatments, DMI, base excess of extracellular fluid, base excess of blood, and standard bicarbonate increased linearly (P < 0.05), and hematocrit, plasma protein, Ca²⁺, anion gap, and plasma strong ion difference decreased linearly (P < 0.05) across day. Compared with the control group, the GC group had decreased papillae count in the ruminal ventral sac (1.3 vs. 1.5; P < 0.05). These results suggest that under HS the acidifying effects of GC on acid-base balance in lambs were counteracted in the short-term through respiratory adaptation.

Key Words: acid-base balance • grain challenge • heat stress • rumen tissue histology • sheep

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				J. E. Las, N. E. Odongo, M. I. Lindinger, O. AlZahal, A. K. Shoveller, J. C. Matthews, and B. W. McBride Effects of dietary strong acid anion challenge on regulation of acid-base balance in sheep J Anim Sci, September 1, 2007; 85(9): 2222 - 2229. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]