Physiological factors depressing feed intake and saliva secretion in goats fed on dry forage

Abstract

Ruminants eating dry forage secrete large volumes of saliva which results in decreased plasma volume (hypovolemia) and the loss of NaHCO3 from the blood. The present research investigated whether or not hypovolemia and the loss of NaHCO3 from the blood in goats brought about by dry forage feeding actually depresses feed intake and saliva secretion, respectively. The present experiment consisted of three treatments (NI, ASI, MI). In the control treatment (NI), a solution was not infused. In the ASI treatment, i.v. infusion of artificial parotid saliva was initiated 1 h before feeding and continued for the entire 2 h feeding period. In the MI treatment, iso-osmotic mannitol solution was infused. The NI treatment showed that hematocrit and plasma total protein concentration were increased due to decreased circulating plasma volume brought about by feeding. In the ASI treatment, the fluid and NaHCO3 that were lost from the blood because of a feeding-induced acceleration of saliva secretion was replenished with an intravenous infusion of artificial parotid saliva. This replenishment lessened the levels of suppression on both feeding and parotid saliva secretion. When only the lost fluid was replenished with an intravenous infusion of iso-osmotic mannitol solution in the MI treatment, the degree of feeding suppression was lessened but the level of saliva secretion suppression was not affected. These results indicate that the marked suppression of feed intake during the initial stages of dry forage feeding was caused by a feeding-induced hypovolemia while the suppression of saliva secretion was brought about by the loss of NaHCO3 from the blood due to increased saliva secretion during the initial stages of feeding.