MVSc

The efficacy of ammonium chloride and horse gram
(Dolichos biflorus) extract on the amelioration of
urolithiasis in goats ware evaluated by using 18 male
Malabari goats of 9 to 12 months old, maintained for an
experimental period of 84 days. Goats were divided into
three groups (I, 11 and Ill) of six animals each and were fed
individually at maintenance level with high magnesium basal
calculogenic ration containing 1.194 per cent calcium, 0.578
per cent phosphorus, 1.202 per cent magnesium (ration A)
alone, fortified with ammonium chloride at the rate of one per
cent in the ration (ration B) or with supplemented horse gram
extract at the rate of one litre per animal per day (ration C)
respectively. Grass and concentrate were fed at 1: 4 ratio and
drinking water provided ad libitum throughout the experiment.
Body weight gain, dry matter intake, feed efficiency and
protein efficiency were not significantly altered by the
dietary treatments, b.ut. goats fed on supplemental ammonium
chloride (group 11) had a trend towards better weight gain,
feed and protein efficiency. •No significant difference
observed among the three groups with regard to TEC, TLC,
haemoglobin, and plasma protein. Elevated dietary magnesium
in the diet (ration A) caused significant decrease in serum

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calcium (P magnesium (P calcium (P<0.05), significant increase in urine phosphorus and
magnesium (P Ill. Supplemental ammonium chloride and horse gram extract
caused significant rise in serum calcium, significant
reduction in serum phosphorus and magnesium and significant
reduction in urine calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, whereas
horse gram extract was less effective than ammonium chloride
in this regard. Both the dietary treatments had no
significant influence on urinary nitrogen excretion and
digestibility of dietary calcium, phosphorus magnesium and
nitrogen. Supplemental ammonium chloride caused significant
increase in per cent retention of calcium (P phosphorus (P only a tendency to increase per cent retention of calcium and
phosphorus. Both the dietary treatment had no influence on
nitrogen retention and supported nitrogen retention during the
progress of experiment. Magnesium retention has increased
drastically due to high dietary supplementation of magnesium
in all the three groups and' neither supplemental ammonium
chloride nor horse gram extract had any significant influence
on per cent retention of magnesium. Clinical signs of
obstructive urolithiasis were not observed in any of the goats
maintained on three experimental groups. Goats in group I

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exhibited severe crystalluria, had numerous visible sand like
rudimentary calculi in the kidney and had severe gross and
histopathological changes. Goats fed with supplemental
ammonium chloride showed reduction in urine pH, increased
urine volume had not found to have any calculus material in
the kidney and had mild gross and histological changes in the
kidney and bladder. Goats fed on supplemental horse gram
extract showed reduction in intensity of crystalluria, had few
calculi materials in the kidney with gross and histological
changes in the kidney and bladder comparable to group I. On
chemical analysis, the calculi were found to contain
magnesium, phosphate and ammonia. The present investigation
conclude that supplementation of ammonium chloride prevented
the calculi formation possibly due to increased excretion of
chloride ions in the urine. Supplemental horse gram extract
had not prevented calculi formation when fed along with high
magnesium calculogenic ration in goats whereas, had a tendency
to prevent the incidence of urinary calculi perhaps due to its
diuretic effect.