Editor’s note: The following article is the third in a series discussing electrolyte formulation and function in calves. Click here to read the first part, and click here to read the second in the series. Earlier in this series, we saw that strong ions fully dissociate from other substances when they dissolve in water. This dissociation not only affects the electrolyte solution being fed to the calf, it also has profound effects within the animal itself.

Editor’s note: The following article is the second in a series discussing electrolyte formulation and function in calves. Click here to read the first article in the series. A curious thing about electrolyte ingredients is that even though they are listed on the label, many of them don’t end up in the solution we feed to the calf. There is no sodium chloride. There is no sodium bicarbonate, or sodium acetate, calcium lactate, potassium chloride or a number of other ingredients. So ... what happens to them? It’s actually quite simple. They dissociate, or separate into their basic components when they dissolve in water – or any aqueous medium such as blood plasma and other body fluids.

Editor’s note: The following article is the first in a series discussing electrolyte formulation and function in calves. Electrolyte comparisons show up in articles and publications from time to time, and are typically based on information found on the label of each product. Although probably unintentional, these comparisons usually contain a fair amount of incorrect or misleading information. These profiles may be convenient and are intended to be informative, but caution needs to be exercised when using these comparisons. To begin, the product profiles in these comparisons use values calculated from the actual numbers of molecules of the different ingredients that make up each electrolyte product. What?!