The use of urea as a marker of body water in the nursing foal.

The research is aimed at utilising urea as a measure of body water volume in nursing foals . The study uses deuterium oxide as a reference marker.

Objective of the Research

The objective of the research was to establish the effectiveness of urea, when compared to deuterium oxide (D2O), as a marker for estimating the body water volume in nursing foals. FOals are two-month old horses that are still being nursed.

Research Methodology

• The methodology involved in this research was a comparison of urea and D2O as markers used to estimate body water volume.
• The research was conducted on ten 2-month old nursing foals over a period of 10 hours.
• The rate of plasma urea clearance was consistent over the ten-hour study period.

Findings of the Research

• The R2, which represents how closely the data fit the statistical model, was found to range between 0.93 and 0.98 in the disappearance curve of plasma urea.
• The average volume of space occupied by urea was found to be about 4% less than that occupied by D2O.
• Despite the smaller average volume, the standard deviation (a measure of data dispersion) of the proportion of water in the body weight was higher when measured with urea (3.8%) compared to D2O (1.6%). This implies more variability when urea is used to estimate body water volume.
• The research also calculated the urea entry rate at 49 milligrams per hour for each kilogram of the foals’ metabolic body size (LW0.75).

Conclusion of the Research

In conclusion, the research provides insights into the use of urea as a marker for estimating the body water volume in nursing foals. Although the average urea space was slightly less than that of D2O, and despite the higher standard deviation with urea, the results indicate that urea can be an effective marker in these instances. The calculated urea entry rate can also be important in understanding the metabolism of nursing foals.