What is the chemistry of grass tetany?
When the cow is forced to metabolize excess protein for energy, the nitrogen of protein is poorly utilized and much of it is liberated as smaller nitrogen compounds, including ammonia, Proteins of young grasses are especially high in amide ammonia which is easily splits off. The rumen of a cow suffering from grass tetany is actually alkaline and contains free ammonia, detectable by odor and chemical test. The disease can be produced experimentally by feeding a normal diet, supplemented with ammonium carbonate sufficient to raise the ammonium content of the rumen to that encountered in field cases. Under alkaline conditions and with free ammonia present, magnesium is converted to an insoluble and unavailable form known as magnesium ammonium phosphate. This process will pull the magnesium ions out of the blood and thereby bring on the acute phase of magnesium tetany. The tetany is a terminal event in a series of processes that started from a relative energy deficiency. Magnesium tetany c
