Table 3.
Blood biochemistry assays of sows at parturition and weaning
| Item | Dietary treatment1 | SEM | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CON | ACI | |||
| No. of sows | 11 | 11 | ||
| Serum, day 1 of lactation | ||||
| Total protein, g/dL | 6.23 | 6.52 | 0.11 | 0.085 |
| Albumin, g/dL | 3.40 | 3.67 | 0.06 | 0.004 |
| Globulin, g/dL | 2.83 | 2.85 | 0.10 | 0.898 |
| Total alkaline phosphatase, U/L | 46.66 | 44.73 | 3.54 | 0.703 |
| Creatinine, mg/dL | 2.16 | 2.01 | 0.10 | 0.293 |
| Blood urea N, mg/dL | 9.91 | 9.00 | 0.26 | 0.264 |
| Serum, day 18 of lactation | ||||
| Total protein, g/dL | 7.17 | 7.31 | 0.18 | 0.591 |
| Albumin, g/dL | 3.55 | 3.77 | 0.07 | 0.042 |
| Globulin, g/dL | 3.63 | 3.54 | 0.20 | 0.753 |
| Total alkaline phosphatase, U/L | 63.80 | 43.27 | 8.20 | 0.086 |
| Creatinine, mg/dL | 1.60 | 1.43 | 0.07 | 0.080 |
| Blood urea N, mg/dL | 14.45 | 12.73 | 0.92 | 0.198 |
1Dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) was expressed as milliequivalents (mEq) (Na + K – Cl) per kilogram diet. Two dietary treatments were CON (control diets were corn-soybean meal based with a calculated DCAD of 170 and 226 mEq/kg during late gestation and lactation, respectively) or ACI (acidogenic diets had a DCAD 100 mEq/kg lower than the control diets).