Factors affecting the urinary excretion of urea nitrogen in cattle. I. Sodium chloride and water loads

Abstract

Urea metabolism in cattle was studied under conditions of different nitrogen, sodium chloride, and water intakes. Urea supplementation increased the concentrations of ammonia and trichloroacetic acid-insoluble nitrogen in ventral rumen fluid, raised the plasma urea concentration, and increased the excretion of faecal nitrogen and urinary urea and non-urea nitrogen. Sodium chloride loading increased the free water intake and urine flow rate, and the added sodium was quantitatively recovered in the urine. Plasma urea concentration was linearly related to urinary urea excretion but the slope of this relationship was influenced by the urine flow rate. Urea clearance and the fraction of filtered urea excreted were both related to the urine flow rate and to the urine-concentrating ability of the kidney, but not to the urinary urea output. During low nitrogen intakes, urinary urea excretion was influenced more by urine flow than by solute load.