Effect of Various Chlorides and Calcium Carbonate on Calcium, Phosphorus, Sodium, Potassium and Chloride Balance and Their Relationship to Urinary Calculi in Lambs

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Abstract
A total of 216 wether lambs were used in an experiment including feeding and balance trials. The lambs were fed a high-phorphorus basal ration, known to be calculogenic, supplemented with either 1% ammonium chloride,1% calcium chloride, 1% potassium chloride, 4% sodium chloride or 2% calcium carbonate. During an 88-day period, the control lambs developed a 50% incidence of urinary calculi. The calculi incidence for lambs fed the various salts were ammonium chloride, 5 %; calcium chloride, 16%; potassium chloride, 85%; sodium chloride, 35% and calcium carbonate, 30%. The reductions in urinary calculi incidence resulting from the feeding of ammonium chloride and calcium chloride, and the increase from the feeding of potassium chloride were significant (P<.05). Excretion and retention data dispute the existence of any protective action manifested through variations in excretion patterns of calcium, sodium, potassium or chloride unless accompanied by a concomitant reduction in urine pH. Average weight gain was reduced significantly(P<.05) by the feeding of 1% potassium chloride, and a reduction accompanying the feeding of 1% ammonium chloride approached significance at the same level of probability.

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