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Sweating rate and the electrolyte content of skin secretions of Bos taurus and Bos indicus cross-bred cows

SUMMARY Sweating rate and the electrolyte content of secretions from the skin of cattle have been measured on five Bos taurus and five B. indicus cross-bred cows by absorbing secretions into filter papers under polythene disks applied to shaved skin areas on the shoulder, sacral and lumbar regions for 5 min. The increase in weight of the filter paper was taken as a measure of sweating rate and the distilled water eluate from the filter paper was analysed for sodium and potassium. Animals were exposed for 4 h to air temperatures of 20–45 °C at 30% r.h., and for 5–7 h to air temperatures of 40 and 45 °C at 40% r.h. Estimated sweating rates were low by comparison with previously reported values, probably due to rising levels of humidity under the polythene disks during exposure to the skin. B. indicus cross-bred cows had higher sweating rates than B. taurus cows at high air temperatures but the difference between the groups was not significant statistically. Sweating rates were generally highest on the shoulder and lowest on the lumbar region. The amounts of sodium and potassium recovered from filter papers were small and very variable at low air temperatures but increased significantly with air temperature (P < 0·01). No significant differences in the amounts of electrolyte recovered from filter papers were recorded between the species groups or between different sites of collection. The secretions from cattle skin at high ambient temperatures contained at least four to five times as much potassium as sodium. Total sodium and potassium loss through the skin of these experimental animals at the highest ambient temperatures was estimated to be no more than 1–3 % of the sodium and potassium intake in the feed. Absorbing sweat on to filter paper as a method of measuring sweating rate and sweat composition is rather less satisfactory for use with cattle than with man.