INDUCED ACUTE RUMINAL ACIDOSIS IN GOATS TREATED WITH YEAST (SACCHAROMYCES-CEREVISIAE) AND BICARBONATE

Ruminal acidosis was induced in twenty-one 10-month-old West African D warf Goats by feeding a suspension of 80 g wheat flour per kg bodyweig ht (day 0) through a stomach tube. Ruminal and systemic acidosis was d iagnosed on day 1 in all goats. Clinical signs included loss of rumina tion and appetite, trembling, and watery diarrhoea. The detection of a cidic faeces during the first 24h was considered of diagnostic importa nce. Subgroups were treated orally on days 1, 2, and 3 either with 1 g of sodium bicarbonate per kg bodyweight, with 1 g of baking yeast per kg, or with a combination of these treatments at 0.5 g of each per kg . A fourth group served as untreated controls. Peroral bicarbonate neu tralization was highly effective in the treatment of rumen acidosis, w hereas the use of yeast was found ineffective. The combined treatment had a moderate effect probably due to the bicarbonate. Three fatal cas es (60%) occurred in the untreated group compared with none in the bic arbonate group, and 2 in each of the remaining groups. This correspond ed to 33% of the yeast treated group and 40% of the combined treated g roup. Details were given on post mortem examinations performed on all survivors on day 11. Lesions included subacute rumenitis and abomasal ulcers. No lesions were found in 3 of the bicarbonate treated goats an d in 2 of the animals receiving combined treatment.