[The effect of feed preparation on the pharmacokinetics of peroral administration of chlortetracycline in weaned piglets].

The influence of different modes of feeding on the bioavailability of orally administered chlortetracycline was studied in weaned pigs. The animals were divided into three groups receiving a dry, a moist or a soup diet, respectively. CTC was applied at a concentration of 6000 ppm and 2500 ppm to each diet and the oral dosage of CTC was 40 mg chlortetracycline/kg bodyweight. The results of the experiments show that the pharmacokinetics of orally applied chlortetracycline are significantly influenced by the mode of feeding. A significantly higher bioavailability was observed with soup feeding compared with moist or dry food. To achieve a therapeutic blood level of 0.5-1.5 micrograms chlortetracycline/ml blood, 20-30 mg chlortetracycline/kg bodyweight/12 h and 30-40 mg chlortetracycline/kg bodyweight/12 h should be applied to soup and dry or moist feed, respectively.