Subacute Ruminal Acidosis:

Rumen is the most important organ in ruminants that provides energy and protein for animals to produce milk or meat.

Bacteria represent 60% of the rumen microflora. Among them, cellulolytic bacteria digest fiber, and amylolytic bacteria digest starch and sugar.

The optimal pH level in the rumen ranges between 6 and 6.4, sometimes lower in livestock used to concentrate diets. It fluctuates throughout the day, depending on the stage of fermentation.

The optimum pH is maintained due to a balance between the products of fermentation (VFA, H+, etc.), their absorption rate, and endogenous buffers (mainly in saliva).

It is critical to keep the pH balanced to ensure good productivity (milk yield and composition, daily growth rate, etc).

Subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) is a common metabolic disorder in cattle (10-40% occurrence) due to several factors such as feed management or the composition of the diet in particular energy diet aimed at improving productivity.