Salivation in Cattle. I. Feed and Animal Factors Affecting Salivation and Its Relation to Bloat

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Abstract
Studies on saliva secretion were made with rumen-fistulated, identical-twin cattle of varying bloat susceptibilities fed alfalfa pasture or hay. Collection of feed boluses at the cardia showed 2.90 kg saliva added/kilogram of dry matter eaten on lush alfalfa pasture, 2.70 kg on freshly cut succulent alfalfa, 3.30 kg on mature pasture, and 3.25 kg on hay. Total saliva added per feeding was 8.0 kg with freshly cut alfalfa and 15.8 kg with hay. Collecting mixed saliva at the cardia gave a mean resting flow of 81 g/min. A diurnal increase from 81 to 93 g/min from 2 to 14 hr after feeding was observed. A total daily secretion of 117 to 183 kg saliva per animal was estimated. A possible relationship between susceptibility to bloat and salivation was masked by large day-to-day variations, attributed to water content of the feed. As water content of feed increased, salivation decreased.

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