Gc. Waghorn et Id. Shelton, BLOAT IN CATTLE .48. EFFECT OF COPPER IN A BLOAT DRENCH ON RUMEN BYPASS IN CATTLE, New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 37(1), 1994, pp. 87-92
A trial was undertaken to determine whether a bloat drench containing
copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), selenium (Se), and iodine (I) would by-pass
the reticulo-rumen (rumen) of cows. Six rumen-fistulated cows were fed
pasture at a range of intakes so that there was an 8-fold range in ru
men dry matter (DM) pool size, and the Cu in the drench was used as a
marker. The extent to which the rumen Cu pool size increased as a cons
equence of drenching was used to indicate the fate of the drench. The
increase in the rumen Cu pool with drenching showed 30-100% of the dre
nch (mean 71.3 +/- SE 5.15%) remained in the rumen 25-30 min after adm
inistration and recovery was not affected by rumen fill or saiety. It
is suggested that the low and variable recoveries could be the result
of a slow dispersion of drench in the digesta, so that drench which wa
s concentrated in the cranial reticulo-rumen passed rapidly to the abo
masum. The drench did not appear to elicite a closure of the oesophage
al groove.