Vol. 10, Special Issue 11 (2021)

Author(s):
Satish Kumar, Pardeep Kumar, Sunil Punia and Ravi Kumar

Abstract:
In pursuit of maximum milk production per head, dairy producer over fed grain diets that are high in starch and low in fiber to the high yielding buffaloes. These diets increase the risk of Subacute Ruminal Acidosis (SARA), which is a metabolic disease in high-producing buffaloes leading to decrease in ruminal pH to < 5.6. Other factors include inadequate ruminal buffering and adaptation to high carbohydrate diets, lack of coarse fiber and feed sorting. The affected animals resolve ruminal acidosis and return to normal pH by selecting long forage particles, sorting a mixed ration and reducing overall feed intake leading to decreased production. Consequently, it may result in rumenitis, reduced absorptive capacity of rumen, diarrhea, milk fat syndrome, laminitis, liver abscess, increased culling rate and death. In the present study nine buffaloes were found to be suffering from SARA, on basis of ruminal pH testing. All the animals fully recovered after treatment with sodium bicarbonate, ionophores and probiotics.