Glucose Tolerance and Effect of Volatile Fatty Acid on Plasma Glucose Concentration in Ponies

Summary

Factors affecting glucose tolerance and the effect of volatile fatty acids on plasma glucose were studied with five ponies in two 5×5 latin square trials. The treatments were equimolar infusions of glucose, acetate, propionate, butyrate and isontonic saline in fed or fasted ponies.

Animals fasted for 72 hr. exhibited a markedly lower glucose tolerance than those fed ad libitum. Propionate appeared to be the only VFA stimulating a significant glucose response in the fasted animals, but no response was noted in the fed animals. The data suggest that length of fast is an important variable in evaluating glucose tolerance in the horse, and that plasma glucose control may be mediated in part by different mechanisms than in the ruminant species.

© American Society of Animal Science 1970