Ammonia: Urea toxicosis

Question 1

What animals does urea toxicosis usually occur in?

Answer 1

animals with an unadapted rumen fed high starch diets

Question 2

What is rumen fluid like during toxicosis?

Answer 2

Alkaline pH

Question 3

How does it cause toxicosis?

Answer 3

When NH3 is absorbed across the rumen wall it is converted into ammonia ion NH4+ which results in alkalosis in the plasma = urea toxicosis

Question 4

Signs of toxicosis?

Answer 4

Muscle tremors (face/ears), abdominal pain, frothy saliva, polyuria, bruxism, pulmonary oedema, dyspnoea and gasping

Question 5

Why are ruminants more susceptible then horses?

Answer 5

In the rumen urea is rapidly converted to ammonia and absorbed across the blood stream causing rapid toxicosis
Horses however excrete some urea in urine so there isnt as much available to be fermented in the LI into ammonia and some of the ammonia can be converted into AA they can still become sick but are less likely