SILICA UROLITHIASIS IN BEEF CATTLE.: IV. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE pH AND BUFFERING CAPACITY OF THE ASH OF CERTAIN FEEDS, pH OF THE URINE, AND UROLITHIASIS

Abstract

Two experiments were carried out to determine the relationship existing between the pH and buffering capacity of the ash of feeds and the urine pH, and the incidence of silica urolithiasis.In the first experiment the pH and buffering capacity were determined on the ash of 51 feeds of plant origin. No statistical relationship between the pH of the ash and its buffering capacity was found. Twenty-one of these feeds and four chemical compounds were fed to Holstein steer calves and the urine pH recorded. Twelve of the twenty-one feeds produced an acid urine.In the second experiment, four Holstein steer calves were fed for 6 months on rations designed to produce either an acid or alkaline urine. All calves produced silicerous urinary calculi. Urine pH per se did not seem to be a factor in the incidence of silica urolithiasis.