ABSTRACT
Objective
The effects of docusate (DOC) supplementation on feed intake and digestion of cattle
were studied.
Materials and Methods
Four Simmental × Xinjiang Brown nonpregnant female cattle, with a BW of 248.9 ± 9.4 kg and a permanent rumen cannula, were assigned to 4 treatments: dietary supplementation
of DOC at 0 (the control), 0.8, 1.2, and 1.6 g/kg of DM diet in a 4 × 4 Latin square
design. Each period consisted of 16 d for adaptation followed by 6 d for sample collection
(feed, feces, and mixture of feces + urine) and measurements. All animals were fed
individually with the same basal diet.
Results and Discussion
Supplementation with DOC had a quadratic effect on voluntary feed intake (VFI); VFA
concentration in rumen fluid; amounts of digested nutrients; and the retention of
nitrogen (N), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P) compared with the control. The highest
increment values were 39.5% for VFI, 14.9% for VFA, and 9.1% for N retention at a
DOC dose of 1.2 g/kg of diet. The ruminal ammonia concentration declined linearly
with increasing DOC dose. Docusate supplementation decreased, in a quadratic manner,
the digestibility of dietary components, likely due to the increased VFI. It was concluded
that DOC fed at 1.2 g/kg of diet stimulated VFI and digestion in cattle.
Implications and Applications
Supplementation with DOC at the appropriate dose can stimulate feed intake and digestion
in cattle, and DOC could be used as a feed additive for ruminants.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
April 24,
2021
Received:
November 8,
2020
Footnotes
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
