Changes

There is no specific treatment for subacute rumenal acidosis, because it is not normally detected at the time of subobtimal rumen pH. Correcting the diet and managing the feeding regime should however bring the pH back into the ideal range. Conditions occuring secondary to SARA, such as mastitis, lameness and LDAs, should be treated as necessary.

There is no specific treatment for subacute rumenal acidosis, because it is not normally detected at the time of subobtimal rumen pH. Correcting the diet and managing the feeding regime should however bring the pH back into the ideal range. Conditions occuring secondary to SARA, such as mastitis, lameness and LDAs, should be treated as necessary.

SARA can be prevented by considering the risk factors already described. The amount of rapidly fermentable carbohydrate consumed at each meal should be limited; this can be achieved by accurate diet formulation relative to the needs of the animal, and by proper management of the feeding regime.

SARA can be prevented by considering the risk factors already described. The amount of rapidly fermentable carbohydrate consumed at each meal should be limited; this can be achieved by accurate diet formulation relative to the needs of the animal, and by proper management of the feeding regime. The dry matter content of forage should be realistically estimated to ensure that its contribution is adequate, and sufficient effective long fibre must be included in the diet. However, forage particles should not be long enough to facilitate separation from the consumed ration by the cows. be sorted by the cows. Transitional diets must be carefully implemented, and animals should be fed a diet appropriate to their level of production. The dietary cation-anion balance can be manipulated to improve the buffering capacity of a ration.

Field recommendations for feeding component-fed concentrates to dairy cattle during the first 3 wk of lactation are usually excessive. Feeding excessive quantities of concentrate and insufficient forage results in a fiber-deficient ration likely to cause subacute ruminal acidosis. The same situation may be seen during the last few days before parturition if the ration is fed in separate components; as dry-matter intake drops before calving, dry cows preferentially consume concentrate over fiber and develop acidosis.

Subacute ruminal acidosis may also be caused by errors in delivery of the rations or by formulation of rations that contain excessive amounts of rapidly fermentable carbohydrates or a deficiency of fiber. Recommendations for the fiber content of dairy rations are available in the National Research Council report, Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle (see nutrition: dairy cattle, ). Dry-matter content errors in total mixed rations are commonly related to a lack of adjustment for changes in moisture content of forages.

Including long-fiber particles in the diet reduces the risk of subacute ruminal acidosis by encouraging saliva production during chewing and by increasing rumination after feeding. However, long-fiber particles should not be easily sorted away from the rest of the diet; this could delay their consumption until later in the day or cause them to be refused completely.

Ruminant diets should also be formulated to provide adequate buffering. This can be accomplished by feedstuff selection and/or by the addition of dietary buffers such as sodium bicarbonate or potassium carbonate. Dietary anion-cation difference is used to quantify the buffering capacity of a diet.

Supplementing the diet with direct-fed microbials that enhance lactate utilizers in the rumen may reduce the risk of subacute ruminal acidosis. Yeasts, propionobacteria, lactobacilli, and enterococci have been used for this purpose. Ionophore (eg, monensin sodium) supplementation may also reduce the risk by selectively inhibiting ruminal lactate producers; however, ionophores are not currently approved for use in lactating dairy cows in North America

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