Evaluation of some treatments for ammonia poisoning in cattle

Fifteen yearling steers were used to evaluate treatments for ammonia intoxication. The animals subjected to ammonium chloride infusion were distributed into three groups of five animals each, and treated as following: 1-control group (C), physiological saline solution (H) infusion; 2-O+H group, urea cycle aminoacids (O) and "H" medication; and 3-O+F+H group, the same protocol of group 2 plus furosemide (F). The animals were monitored by collection of blood samples and the whole urinary volume. O+F+H and O+H treatments promoted pronounced clinical improvement, in attention to H group, i.e., they remained in standing position, returned ruminal movement and appetite, and recovered more quickly from pulmonary edema. In O+F+H and O+H groups, minor plasmatic levels of ammonia and L-lactate, more abundant urine, major ammonium and urea amount excretion by urine, more intensive ammonia depuration from blood, and lower urinary pH were observed. It was concluded that the proposed treatments had effective action due to hyperammonemia decrease, by major renal ammonium excretion, and hepatic transformation of ammonia in urea.