Apparatus to Measure Flow and Sample Duodenal Contents in Calves

TECHNICAL NOTES Apparatus to Measure Flow and Sample Duodenal Contents in Calves J.-M. G A U D R E A U and G. J. BRISSON Departement de Zootechnie and Centre de Recherches en Nutrition Universite Laval Sainte-Foy, Quebec G1K 7P4

ABSTRACT

sphincter and above the bile duct. The two cannulae situated on the right side of the animal were in a vertical plane and 10 cm apart; the distal cannula must be above the proximal one to allow proper installation of the flowmeter. When the flowmeter was not in use, the two cannulae were connected to each other by a U-tube prepared from Tygon® tubing.

A simple and inexpensive apparatus, requiring minimum labor to operate, was designed to measure flow and sample duodenal contents in young dairy calves. This apparatus simulated normal physiological conditions and was used satisfactorily under varied experimental conditions.

Flowmeter INTRODUCTION

Phenomenons of abomasum emptying in young calves have been the object of recent studies (1 to 5, 7 to 13). In most cases, digesta flow was measured either indirectly by various dilution techniques with suitable markers or directly by collecting the gastric effluents from a proximal duodenal cannula. In the latter case, after proper measurements and sampling, the effluents were reintroduced in the digestive tract through a distal duodenal cannula. This direct measurement of digesta flow is preferable because it is less subject to error but it requires either sophisticated equipment or considerable handling. A simple and inexpensive manual flowmeter, requiring minimum handling, was designed and used to measure directly the flow and to sample duodenal contents in young calves.

A diagram of the flowmeter appears in Fig. 1. The main parts were a four-way stopcock and two graduated 200-ml PVC (polyvinyl chloride) bottles connected with ordinary 2-cm polyethylene plumbing fittings. The four parts of the four-way stopcock were lathed from Plexiglass® rods and sheets (Fig. 2). The fourway stopcock was fixed to two wooden spacers 3 cm high × 2 cm wide x 9 cm long by the four screws appearing in Fig. 1 and 2. These spacers were necessary to give sufficient room for the

MATERIALS AND METHODS

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Calves were fitted with a re-entrant duodenal fistula at 1 wk of age. The surgical procedure was the same as that described by Markowitz and co-workers (6) using T-shaped cannulae prepared from medical-grade Silastic® tubing 9.5 mm ID. The cannulae were inserted in the proximal duodenum below the pyloric

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FIG. 2. Diagram of the four-way stopcock. FIG. 3. Flowmeter installed on the animal. U-tubes to be connected with the cannulae. The four-way stopcock and the spacers then were fixed to two leather straps 110 cm long × 2 cm wide. These straps were then approximately 3 cm apart and served as a harness. To install the flowmeter, the U-tube connecting the two cannulae was disconnected. The four-way stopcock fixed to the straps was suspended on the right side of the animal exactly between the two cannulae (Fig. 3 and 4). The installation was such that two of the four ways were in a vertical plane, the upper way being connected to the distal cannula and the lower way to the proximal cannula. The connections between the stopcock and the cannulae were made of 2-cm polyethylene fittings glued (ABS Solvent Cement, Canadian Tire Corp., Ltd. Toronto, Canada) to Tygon® tubing. The Tygon ® tubing connections, as shown in Fig. 1, were heated and bent to avoid too much pulling on the cannulae when the flowmeter was displaced following movements of the animal. The other two ways of the stopcock were then in a horizontal plane, each one being connected to the botton of a graduated 200ml PVC bottle. The connections used were made of 2-cm polyethylene elbow fittings. Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 61. No. 9

They were glued to the bottom of the bottles but only inserted in the four-way stopcock (Fig. 1). The holes in the four-way ring were machined to such a dimension as to give a snug fit. With the use of stopcock grease, the bottles

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TECHNICAL NOTE then could rotate freely around the stopcock and be kept manually in a vertical position, even when the stopcock itself was not in a vertical position. This was the case, for example, when the animal was lying down (Fig. 5). This feature made it possible to shake the bottles and mix the contents when necessary. The two bottles were connected to each other at the top by means of a rubber tubing serving as an air pipe (Fig. 1, 3, and 5). The weight of the apparatus was counterbalanced with a sandbag attached to the harness on the left side of the animal. To operate the flowmeter, the right bottle first was filled with warm water (40 C) and the stopcock placed in "left" position (Fig. 4). In that position, the left bottle was connected to the proximal cannula, and the right bottle to the distal cannula. As digesta flowed into the left bottle from the abomasum, air was displaced into the right bottle, forcing an equivalent quantity of warm water into the distal cannula. When the left bottle was nearly filled with digesta, the stopcock was switched to the "right" position (Fig. 6). Then digesta from the

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abomasum flowed into the right bottle, air was displaced back into the left bottle, forcing an equivalent quantity of digesta into the distal cannula. Once the right bottle was nearly filled, the stopcock was switched back to the "left" position and so on. The bottles being graduated, it was possible to measure directly and continuously the quantity of digesta flowing from the abomasum. To collect samples, the stopcock of the flowmeter was closed by moving the plug to stop the flow of digesta into the bottles (Fig. 5). The sampling exit placed on the connection between the proximal cannula and the lower way of the stopcock then was opened (Fig. 5 and 7). Digesta flowing directly from the abomasum then were collected into a suitable bottle. RESULTS A N D DISCUSSION

FIG. 5. Samping digesta while the animal was lying down.

The flowmeter was used in three different experiments totaling over 1000 h of duodenal flow measurement, and it was highly satisfactory. It was light, not bulky, and allowed the calf to stand or lie down (Fig. 3 and 5); therefore, measurements could be made for 24 h or more without the animal showing signs of fatigue. However, when the calf was lying on its right side, the flowmeter was not readily accessible to operate; fortunately, it was relatively easy to train the animal to lie only on its left Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 61, No. 9

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FIG. 7. Sampling digesta with the flowmeter.

side. This f l o w m e t e r allowed t h e n o r m a l forw a r d and b a c k w a r d f l o w o f digesta, and ensured t h e c o n t i n u o u s f l o w o f c h y m e f r o m t h e p r o x i m a l d u o d e n u m t o t h e distal d u o d e n u m , simulating t h e n o r m a l physiological c o n d i t i o n s . The time r e q u i r e d for h a n d l i n g this t y p e o f flowrneter, including sampling, was r e d u c e d t o the point where one operator could measure t h r e e animals fed at the same time. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was s u p p o r t e d by grants f r o m t h e National Research Council o f Canada, No. A-2013. The a u t h o r s express t h e i r a p p r e c i a t i o n to V. Delmas, M.D., for p e r f o r m i n g the surgery, t o P. C a s t o n g u a y for his help in taking care o f the animals, and t o C. Noel for her suggestions in the p r e p a r a t i o n o f this m a n u s c r i p t . REFERENCES

1 Ash, R. W. 1964. Abomasal secretion and emptying in suckled calves. J. Physiol. 172:425. 2 Bell, F. R., and K. Mostaghni. 1975. Duodenal con-

Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 61, No. 9

trol of gastric emptying in the milk-fed calf. J. Physiol. 245:387. 3 Colvin, B. M., R. A. Lowe, and H. A. Ramsey. 1969. Passage of digesta from the abomasum of a calf fed soy flour milk replacers and whole milk. J. Dairy Sci. 52:687. 4 Gorrill, A. D. L., and J. W. G. Nicholson. 1972. Effects of neutralizing acid whey powder in milk replacers containing milk and soybean proteins on performance and abomasal and intestinal ingestion in calves. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 52:465. 5 Guilloteau, P., J.-L. Paruelle, R. Toullec, and C.-M. Mathieu. 1975. Utilisation des proteines par le veau preruminant a l'engrais. III. Influence du reemplacement des proteines du lait par celles du poisson sur la vidange stomacale. Ann. Zootech. 24:243. 6 Markowitz, J., J. Archibald, and H. G. Downie. 1964. Page 659 in Experimental surgery. 5th ed. Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore. 7 Mathieu, C.-M. 1968. Etude de la vidange stomaclae du lait entier chez le veau preruminant. Ann. Biol. Anita. Bioch. Biophys. 8:581. 8 Mylrea, P. J. 1966a. Digestion in young calves fed whole milk ad lib. and its relationship to calf scours. Res. Vet. Sci. 7:407. 9 Smith, R. H., and J. w. Sissons. 1975. The effect of different feeds, including those containing soyabean products, on the passage of digesta from the abomasum of the preruminant calf. Brit. J. Nutr. 33:329. 10 Tagari, H., and J. H. B. Roy. 1969. The effect of heat treatment on the nutritive value of milk for the young calf. 8. The effect of the pre-heating treatment of spray-dried skim milk on the pH and the contents of total, protein and non-protein nitrogen of the pyloric outflow. Brit. J. Nutr. 23: 763. 11 Ternouth, J. H., and H. L. Buttle. 1973. Concurrent studies on the flow of digesta in the duodenum and of exocrine pancreatic secretion of calves. 1. The collection of the exocrine pancreatic secretion from a duodenal cannula. Brit. J. Nutr. 29:387. 12 Ternouth, J. H., J. H. B. Roy, S. Y. Thompson, J. Toothill, C. M. Gillies, and J. D. Edwards-Webh. 1975. Concurrent studies of the flow of digesta in the duodenum and of exocrine pancreatic secretion of calves. 3. Further studies on the addition of fat to skim milk and the use of non-milk proteins in milk-substitute diets. Brit. J. Nutr. 33 : 181. 13 Toullec, R., and C.-M. Mathieu. 1973. Influence de la composition du lair ingere sur la vidange stomacale chez le veau preruminant. Ann. Rech. Veter. 4:13.