The in vivo deuterated water (D2O) elimination kinetics is a precise method to estimate body water mass, turnover and intake, and body chemical composition (Al-Ramamneh et al., 2010). Nonetheless, the reference methodology in ruminants requires intravenous (iv) injection of D2O followed by serial blood sampling, water cryoextraction and deuterium enrichment analysis by isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). The aim was to investigate non-invasive sampling (milk vs. blood), fast water extraction (centrifugation vs. cryoextraction) and cheaper analysis method [isotope-ratio infrared spectroscopy (IRIS) vs. IRMS] to determine D2O elimination kinetics in dairy goats.

Deuterium oxide elimination kinetics for estimation of body water mass and flux: Developments for a thrifty, rapid and non-invasive method in dairy goats.