Effect of apple cider vinegar on the urine pH of lambs

Abstract

Urolithiasis is a common disease in growing lambs. Acidifica­tion of the urine is both a treatment and prevention for struvite urolithiasis. Ammonium chloride has been shown to produce acidic urine within 24-72 hours, depending on dose. The chal­lenges with increasing ammonium chloride level in feed is the unpalatability of the salt and daily individual dosing has issues with client compliance. Apple cider vinegar has been used by producers as both a treatment and prevention of urolithiasis by both addition to water and by direct drenching. There is cur­rently a lack of evidence to support use of apple cider vinegar in the peer-reviewed literature. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of apple cider vinegar on the urine pH of sheep when drenched by mouth and compare the effects on urine pH to ammonium chloride.