TY - CONF T1 - Is lithium a candidate to modify rutting behaviour in stags? T2 - Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production Y1 - 2004 A1 - Prouting MF A1 - Nicol AM A1 - Keeley MJ AB - Preliminary experiments assessed the potential of lithium to moderate the effects of the rut. Young (5-9 month old) stags were used to determine the kinetics of lithium in deer, establish appropriate dose rates, evaluate the opportunity for self-medication and to test whether behaviour would be modified. The relationship between lithium dose rate and plasma lithium concentration was established from acute administration (5 dose rates, 2 animals per dose) and confirmed with continuous medication for 31 days. A daily dose of 0.6 mmol Li/kg W (as LiCl) achieved a mean plasma Li concentration of (0.78 ± 0.04 mmol/l), which was within the therapeutic range (0.5–1.5 mmol/l). This daily dose, offered in drinking water (11.2 mmol Li/l as LiCl) to a group of (n=10) young stags induced a decline in both water (14%) and feed (12%) intake which was almost recovered after 4 weeks of self-medication. Liveweight gain averaged 252 ± 27 g/d for +Li animals compared with 263 ± 21 g/d for the -Li group (NS). Lithium treated stags moved more freely through a maze than did -Li stags, with 60% of the animals completing the maze compared with only 10% of the -Li group. There was no significant difference in the behaviour of +Li and -Li groups to the introduction of a unfamiliar stag or in their response to human handling. This work lays the foundation for studies on the potential for lithium therapy to modify the rut in adult stags. JF - Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production PB - New Zealand Society of Animal Production CY - Hamilton VL - 64 ER -