Abstract

Four sheep fitted with an indwelling catheter in the femoral artery and a transit time ultrasonic flow probe around the left pudendal artery (supplying the mammary gland) were used to quantitate changes in mammary blood flow (MBF) in late pregnancy and lactation, and to determine the extraction of glucose and oxygen by the mammary gland. Mammary vein blood samples were collected by venipuncture. Considerable variation existed in the pattern of change in MBF between individual sheep. In two animals, MBF through the pudic artery fitted with the flow probe doubled to 600 mL/min on the day of lambing (DL), while in the other two sheep, MBF varied little in response to lambing. Possible explanations for this difference between individuals are discussed. Glucose extraction trebled on DL from 6.0 to 18.7% (P<0.01) and remained high during lactation in relation to milk output. Oxygen extraction by the mammary gland peaked during the last week of pregnancy (at 45.7%) and during lactation it was related linearly to milk output.

DK, Revell, PM Harris, YH Cottam, GW Reynolds, and J Lee

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 57, , 209-211, 1997