[Acid-base equilibrium in calves with enteritis]

Studied were the indices of the acid-alkaline balance and the lactate level in a total of 19 Black-and-white calves manifesting clinical forms of enteritis as well as in 10 clinically normal calves that belonged to the same breed. In most of the calves affected with enteritis the blood pH values proved essentially lower than those found in normal calves. Differences were established between the normal and the diseased animals with regard to ABE, HCO-3, and pCO2, the ABE values with some of the animals with enteritis reaching -9.2 mmol/l, and the HCO-3 values--up to 16.5 mmol/l. Enteritis animals also showed higher pCO2 values than normal ones. The differences observed in the acid-alkaline balance pointed to the presence of metabolic respiratory acidosis in calves with clinical enteritis.