The inputs and outputs of potassium (K) and sodium (Na) were measured in six lambs prior to and during a 4-day period of acute dietary K restriction. During the predepletion period, urinary K accounted for 60.4% of the total K excreted. Renal K and Na excretion decreased during the initial stage of K restriction. Renal K excretion then continued to decrease and reached a minimum level after 40 h of K restriction, whereas fecal K excretion decreased only moderately from predepletion levels. A transient natriuresis, which occurred concurrently with the minimum level of urinary K, supported the hypothesis of the existence of a renal peritubular Na–K exchange mechanism. The delay in renal K conservation mechanisms, together with an obligatory fecal K excretion, caused an acute K deficit, estimated at 6.7–11.4%, in lambs fed a low K diet (0.032% K) for 4 days.

B,roiler-chicks, allocated in a randomized found for the group on the salt water comblock design,.were fed four diets containing pqred with the"tapliter controls. The morethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA).aI i+rv i;. jte:fifr.;-;'?r-"ri.i'lig-rii""riiv 0' 0.1, 0.2 and o.4vo of the dier.ana arintiing 1F (_o;ol_niehei'ihan'ro, rhe group receiv_ water wirh a high salt conce-ntration (600d i"g d.ir" EDie-H'lji; diet ani ;;it;;i;;. ppm). A control grouo re€eived tap-w-ater and rfr'e _chicks oo trr" o.qE" nDrA,-dl"t'T;; the EDTA-free diEt. The addition .ir oooo ppm ;td;:n.:;.iiv.rr'<'bi.oii-r,ierr", -i,itrjiiv tilIi NaCl in the drinkine water had no effecibn cdntrol chicks on-tup-.iout.t and those chicks weight gain.or feed 6onversi