Influence of Dietary Cadmium Level and Supplemental Zinc on Cadmium Toxicity in the Bovine 1 2 3

Abstract

Growth rate, feed consumption, water intake, and testicle development decreased progressively as the concentration of Cd in the diet increased. Blood hemoglobin decreased slightly when 40 to 160 ppm Cd in the diet were consumed, but increased sharply when higher levels of Cd (640 and 2560 ppm) were fed. Calves fed 640 or 2560 ppm Cd exhibited unthrifty appearance; rough hair coat; severe body dehydration; dry and scaly skin; loss of hair; mouth lesions; edematous, shrunken, and scaly scrotum; sore and enlarged joints; impaired sight; and liver and kidney damage. Feeding 40 to 160 ppm of Cd from 9 to 20 weeks of age resulted in few clinical symptoms. There was 100% mortality in calves given 2560 ppm Cd, with death occurring in 2 to 8 weeks. At the 640 ppm level there was some mortality. When Cd was removed from the diet, a very severely affected calf recovered to normal appearance with a substantial quantity of live, but mostly abnormal, sperm later obtained from the epididymis. The data suggest that addition of zinc partially offset the effects of Cd on calf performance. Kidneys and livers contained the highest concentration of Cd.