Effects of the Prevention of Coprophagy in the Rat

Abstract

When coprophagy is prevented in the rat by the use of a plastic cup fitted over the tail, a depression in growth rate results. This growth retardation was not prevented by adding to the diet liver, whey, distillers' dried solubles, fish solubles, cellophane, or rat feces. Neither was the replacement of the fat of the diet by butter fat of any effect upon growth rate. Present evidence does not warrant a conclusion that an unidentified growth factor is required by the rat in which total prevention of coprophagy is maintained.