Cattle have a very special place in Indian culture; for Hindus, they are considered sacred, and, as much of the population of India is Hindu, cows are treated very differently as they are in other cultures. The main purpose of breeding cows in India is not for beef, but for milk and milk, as no animals are killed in the milking process. Slaughtering cattle is actually only permitted in a handful of states. Cattle feed supplements in India, then; have different purposes than those in other countries.

There are several reasons that dairy farmers may use supplements in their cattle feed. One of those supplements is sodium bicarbonate, which allows the cows to process food more efficiently, allowing for more milk production. Several other additives are used to increase the efficiency of the cattle’s digestive system; niacin and choline are two other vitamins commonly added to livestock feed that serve similar purposes.

In the last few years, milk from cows treated with antibiotics has come under scrutiny; those products, while necessary to keep the cattle healthy, can be very damaging to humans. Because of this, there has been a recent push to explore other, more natural, options for keeping cattle healthy.

The dairy industry in India continues to grow and grow; in order to remain competitive, it is necessary for those in the veterinary sciences to carefully research ways to make the products safer, as well as ways to increase production. Cattle feed supplements will continue to improve in order to meet the changing global demands.