The purpose of the present study was to establish a practical, fast, precise and low-cost procedure to estimate the degree of metabolic acidosis in cattle with acute rumen lactic acidosis for further treatment. The rumen acidosis was induced experimentally in 40 crossbreed rumen-cannulated 1.5-year-old steers. The induction caused the development of the most characteristic clinical signs of acute rumen lactic acidosis, severe rumen acidosis and a moderate metabolic acidosis, which was evidenced by low blood pH, and blood bicarbonate concentration and base excess (BE). A highly positive correlation (r=0.80) between urinary pH and BE concentration, and between urinary pH and blood pH (r=0.75) was observed. The BE concentration estimated by urinary pH was similar to that determined by venous blood gas analysis (P>0.99). Furthermore, the results presented by the predictive formula were very significant. In conclusion, urinary pH is a good tool to predict the quantity of buffers needed to treat metabolic acidosis in cattle with acute rumen lactic acidosis.
lactic acidosis; urine pH; cattle; base excess; treatment
