4. Discussion
Silanikove, 1994 has reviewed extensively the general response of
ruminants to dehydration. In ruminants, dehydration is accompanied
by an increase in digestibility of forage diets (French, 1956; Silanikove,
1985). Further, this increase in digestibility is associated with an
increase in the mean retention time of food and fluid in the rumen
(French, 1956); this in turn is affected by a decrease in salivary flow
(Hoppe et al., 1975).