Influence of saltwater intake on the health of dairy cattle

Abstract

Water is an element extremely important, essential for life, and necessary to maintain some factors such as intracellular pressure, assist digestive processes, carry nutrients, eliminate toxins through urine and allow the thermal balance of living things. However, it is a scarce element as the national water resources policy in Brazil advocates. In recent years water has become one of the biggest global problems due to lack and quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of saline intake on the health of dairy cattle. The actions consisted of periodic visits to a rural property located in the city of Pesqueira, Agreste Pernambucano - Brazil, whose main economic activity is milk production and cheese making. The herd has milk aptitude and consists of 182 animals. Samples of desalination tailings water that were supplied for quench the animals were collected. Blood samples from the cattle were collected and sent for hematological exams. The results showed alterations of some physicochemical parameters of water and high serum levels of chloride and sodium in cattle. The continuous intake of wastewater from the desalination process for the quench of dairy cattle alters the serological and physiological patterns of these animals. Further studies must be conducted on dairy products regarding their quality and health impact.