SILICA AND PROTEIN CONTENT OF MIXED PRAIRIE AND FESCUE GRASSLAND VEGETATION AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE INCIDENCE OF SILICA UROLITHIASIS

Abstract

Samples of individual species of forages from two locations, one with a high and one with a low incidence of urolithiasis, were collected intermittently during an 8-year period and analyzed for protein, sand, and silica at up to five stages of growth. The grasses and sedges from both locations were higher in silica than the forbs and shrubs but the difference between locations was not significant. The effect of other factors on urolithiasis is discussed, such as the forb–shrub to grass–sedge ratio, the proportion of each consumed by cattle, the availability of water, and the amount of water actually consumed by cattle in the two areas.