Influence of high phosphorus intake on salivary and plasma concentrations,and urinary phosphorus excretion in mature ponies

This study addressed the question whether the concentration of phosphorus (P) in saliva of ponies is influenced by P intake. Six ponies were fed a diet high in P (HP treatment), providing 21 g P/day, and a diet low in P (LP treatment), supplying 7 g P/day. The two diets provided approximately 21 g calcium (Ca) and 6 g magnesium (Mg)/day. The experiment had an A‐B‐A design with treatment periods of 30 days. The ponies first received the HP diet (HP1), followed by the LP treatment and were then fed again the HP diet (HP2). Urinary P excretion was increased in both HP feeding periods and equalled approximately 7% of P intake vs. 0.5% on the LP diet. Plasma P concentration was higher for the HP treatment. The salivary P concentration ranged from 0 to 1.01 mmol P/l between ponies and there was no effect of P intake. It is suggested that saliva is not an important excretion route of P. The percentage of Ca and Mg in urine (% of intake) was higher for the LP treatment than for the HP treatments. The results of this study suggest that salivary Mg may contribute to Mg homeostasis.