COMPARISON OF THREE BLOAT-PREVENTING COMPOUNDS FOR CATTLE GRAZING CLOVER

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Abstract
Eighteen steers that had previous records of bloat susceptibility were used to compare the effectiveness of two defaunating agents, copper sulfate (CuSO4) and dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DOSS), with a nonionic surfactant, poloxalene (POE), for preventing bloat in steers grazing Regal clover (Trifolium repens). All compounds were equally effective in preventing bloat following the morning grazing period. Steers in all three treatments had a greater (P <.05) incidence and severity of bloat after the afternoon grazing period than after the morning grazing. Combined morning and afternoon incidence of bloat was highest (P <.05) for the POE-treated steers. Rumen content from CuSO4-treated steers had a lower (P <.05) acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric, and total VFA (volatile fatty acids) concentration change than the rumen content from other groups of steers. VFA concentration change of rumen content from DOSS-treated steers was similar to POE-treated except for propionic, which was negative and lower (P <.05). Protozoa were present in the CuSO4-treated steers, though the mean count before and after grazing appeared to be lower than in the other two treatments. DOSS-treated steers also appeared to have lower mean counts of protozoa than the POE-treated steers. In vitro gas production by CuSO4-treated steers was less (P <.01) than the DOSS and POE-treated animals. Protozoa appear to be important contributors to legume bloat in ruminants.