Tolerance of goats to experimental grain engorgement and intraruminal lactic acid injection.

Grain overfeeding and intraruminal lactic acid injection was carried out in goats in order to induce signs of grain engorgement or laminitis. Twelve female goats of the small East African breed divided into three equal groups were either overfed with coarsely ground maize meal for 14 days or injected with an 85% syrup of lactic acid intraruminally at a single dose rate of 0.5% bodyweight, while others acted as a control. No clinical differences in the haematological picture, rumen pH, respiration and pulse rates could be observed between the treatment groups and the control. The postmortem and histopathological examinations of the claws showed no pathological changes commonly associated with laminitis. It is concluded that goats can tolerate large amounts of carbohydrates or lactic acid without any injurious effects, which may indicate a superior activity as compared to sheep and cattle.