Effect of dietary cadmium on growth, cadmium absorption and cadmium tissue levels in growing lambs

Abstract

As no major investigation has reported the signs of cadmium toxicity in sheep, the following experiment was undertaken. Thirty male lambs were allotted by weight into five lots of six and fed ad libitum diets for 191 days. The diets contained 0, 5, 15, 30 and 60 ppm of cadmium. Dietary cadmium at 30 and 60 ppm had a significant effect on growth rate and feed intake but no effect on feed efficiency. Apparent absorption of the metal was 5% in the 60 ppm group. Excretion in the urine and reexcretion in the bile of cadmium was negligible. Little cadmium accumulated in blood, fat or muscle but cadmium accumulated in large quantities in liver and kidney. Blood hematocrit was significantly lower and dry liver weight significantly higher at the highest level of cadmium intake when compared with controls. Dietary cadmium had no significant effect on wool cadmium.