Plant Extracts in the Nutrition of Guinea Pigs and Rabbits. ∗

Abstract

It has been known for years 1 that rabbits develop paralysis and soon die when they are restricted to rations of the concentrates commonly employed in livestock feeding. If, however, these rations are supplemented with good quality forage such as alfalfa hay they become entirely adequate. Our first basal ration, No. 800, simulated in composition a similar ration which contains 10% of alfalfa meal, and which had proved adequate for growth. It has the following composition:

A long series of feedstuffs other than forages was studied in an effort to find a soluble supplement that would make Ration 800 adequate for growth, but the only ones that offered any promise were some of the vegetable oils. The first successful ration employed, No. 2003, was made up of Ration 800 90 parts, and corn oil (Mazola) 10 parts. The data summarized in Table I indicate that this ration makes a close approach to complete adequacy during the growing period, but it was not entirely satisfactory.

Madsen 2 reports that cottonseed oil confers partial protection from muscular dystrophy in guinea pigs and rabbits. Goettsch and Pappenheimer 3 observed that corn oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, and soy bean oil are all effective in preventing nutritional encephalomalacia in chicks. In addition to corn oil we have also tried soy bean oil, but in our experience wheat germ oil is by far the most potent. Even advanced cases of muscular dystrophy are healed by including it in the ration. The basal diet finally chosen is made up as follows: Ground oats 60, skimmilk powder 33, wheat germ oil 4, cod liver oil 1, NaCl 1, CaCO₃ 1. This ration invariably supports a rapid rate of growth, but it is grossly inadequate during the reproductive stage.