The effects of level and degradability of dietary protein on urea in blood, urine and milk, and on the urinary purine derivatives and creatinine in dairy cows, were studied. Diurnal variation in urinary concentration of urea, allantoin and creatinine was also studied. A total of 24 multiparous lactating dairy cows were selected from a production experiment and divided into two 12-cow groups according to their lactation stage (LG1, 14th-16th week of lactation; and LG2, 26th-30th week of lactation). Within groups, cows were fed four different rations (three cows per treatment). Four concentrate mixtures with two levels of protein [19 and 14% of crude protein on dry matter (DM) basis] and two different rumen degradabilities (72 and 52%) of the dominating protein feed rapeseed meal, were fed to the cows together with pasture silage and hay. In both groups of cows the urea concentration in plasma, urine and milk increased (p < 0.05) with increasing protein intake. Based on the pooled data from both lactation groups, significant (p < 0.001) correlations were found between the intake of PBV (protein balance value in the rumen) and urea concentrations in plasma (R(2) = 0.73), urine (R(2) = 0.53) and milk (R(2) = 0.63). Also significant (p < 0.001) relationships were observed between plasma urea and urea in urine (R(2) = 0.78) and milk (R(2) = 0.73), and between milk urea and urinary nitrogen losses (R(2) = 0.64). In LG2 there was an increase in urinary allantoin excretion associated with an increase in DM intake. A clear diurnal pattern of concentrations in urine of urea, allantoin and creatinine was observed in LG1 and LG2. The use of allantoin to creatinine ratio in spot samples of urine appeared to be an useful index of the urinary allantoin excretion in intact animals.
