Effects of Intravenous versus Intraruminal Injections of Acetate on Feed Intake of Goats

Abstract

Sodium acetate injections into the rumen depressed feed intake while the same amounts injected intravenously had no such effect. Specifically, goats fed a grain ration ad libitum were injected either intraruminally or intravenously with acetate solutions concomitantly with eating spontaneous meals. Five-minute injections of acetate given intravenously caused blood levels to increase to 8 to 12 mm while injections given intraruminally caused an increase of only 0.5 to 1.0 mm. These data suggest that receptors sensitive to acetate are more likely to be situated in the lumen side of the ruminoreticulum than in an area where they would respond to blood levels. Although it seems apparent that there are acetate receptors in ruminants, it cannot be concluded that the feed intake depression following an acetate injection is related to satiety. © 1968, American Dairy Science Association. All rights reserved.