Ruminal Acidosis in Feedlot: From Aetiology to Prevention

Table 1

Main differences between the two different clinical forms of ruminal acidosis [5].

	Ruminal acidosis
	Acute	Subacute
Presence of clinical signs	Yes	Maybe
Mortality	Yes	No
Ruminal changes
(1) Rumen pH	Below 5	5.0–5.4
(2) Lactic acid	Increase; (50–120 mM)	Normal; (0–5 Mm)
(3) Volatile fatty acids (VFA)	Decrease; (<100 mM)	Increase; (150–225 mM)
(4) Gram negative bacteria	Decrease	Normal
(5) Gram positive bacteria	Increase	Normal
(6) Streptococcus bovis	Increase	Normal
(7) Lactobacillus spp.	Increase	Normal
(8) Lactic acid producers	Increase	Increase
(9) Lactic acid consumers	Decrease	Increase
Blood parameters
(1) Blood pH	Low	Borderline
(2) Bicarbonate	Low	Borderline
(3) Lactate	Increase	Normal