QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Travis, H. F. Articles by Schaible, P. J. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Travis, H. F. Articles by Schaible, P. J.

Vitamin K in the Nutrition of Mink^1,2,

Fur Animal Project, Department of Poultry Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

Experiments were conducted to ascertain: (1) whether normal adult mink require vitamin K; (2) whether dark mink differ in this respect from sapphire mink which contain the Aleutian gene; and (3) whether sulfaquinoxaline or certain antibiotics affect blood clotting time.

The dietary requirement of normal adult mink was established as being less than 13 mg of menadione sodium bisulfite (USP) per ton, or 6.5 µg per pound of feed. Practical ranch rations would contain much higher levels of vitamin K activity.

The mean whole blood prothrombin time of sapphire mink (16.8 ± 0.4 seconds) was similar to that of dark mink (17.8 ± 0.4 seconds).

Sulfaquinoxaline fed for 6 to 8 days at the 0.05% level or higher significantly increased the whole blood prothrombin times.

Menadione sodium bisulfite (USP) at a level of 10 gm per ton of food (fed as Klotogen F) reduced the blood clotting time of mink fed sulfaquinoxaline at a level of 0.06%.

Addition of aureomycin and terramycin at a level of 400 gm per ton of food when fed for 6 to 8 days did not significantly increase whole blood prothrombin times.

Mink fed a semipurified ration had comparable blood clotting times to those fed a typical ranch ration.

² This work was supported in part by a grant from Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, Illinois.

³ Presented by the senior author in partial fulfillment of the Ph.D. degree.

⁴ Present address: U.S.D.A. Agr. Res. Service, Beltsville, Maryland.

Manuscript received 28 January 1961.