Trace Minerals Aid Immunity
|
Kay
Dee Feed REPORTS |
| Reprinted from Iowa Cattleman By Bob Blomme, DVM, Audubon-Manning Veterinary Services |
| At last week’s
Iowa Veterinary Medical Association convention, several talks were
presented on the role of nutrition in feedlot health. |
| Too often we get hung up on whether the vaccines we use are modified live,
killed, boostered, etc. Granted, those are important discussions you
should have with your veterinarian. However, we cannot overlook the
ability of the immune system to respond to the vaccines. |
| Cattle challenged by a "mild" viral strain may succumb to disease if their
immune system is not up to par. Other cattle can be faced with a severe
disease challenge, yet they show no obvious effects because their immune
system is able to check the challenge. |
| The obvious question is what inhibits the immune system from operating at
peak efficiency? First, we must understand that there are numerous
components to the immune system. Therefore, we have several steps or
components that can be compromised. This could be a discussion that would
take a whole semester of coursework to digest. For our purposes, we will
discuss a general item that maybe a concern. |
| Trace mineral status of the animal was part of the discussion at li/MA and
how it can undermine immunity. Copper, zinc and selenium are the critical
trace minerals for immune function. A deficiency of any one of these can
be detrimental. |
| Even when the ration is adjusted to correct the mineral deficiency, it may
take a minimum of 30 days to correct the deficiency. The liver is the
storage organ for these minerals, therefore liver mineral status could be
checked when we have a pen "dead." |
| Serum can also be tested, yet the reliability of those values are less
than the liver test. Vitamin E status is another confounding part of this
equation. Cattle stressed by weather or other factors can require more
vitamin E than normal. |
| What is the take home message of this article? |
| Nutritional factors are critical in making the immune system the best
al what it can be. Work with your nutritionist on making sure the mineral
program is adequate for the cattle you arc feeding. NRC (National Research
Council] recommendations may not be adequate for highly stressed cattle. |
| If you should have a group of cattle that don’t respond to therapy like
they should, request diagnostics on trace mineral status as well as the
diagnostics needed for viruses, bacteria and mycoplasmas. The first animal
that dies can be the most valuable animal in the pen if we use those
diagnostics to avert train wreck. |
| That group of cattle that has caused us to pull our hair out warrants
investigation of mineral status. Visiting with the previous caretaker may
shed light on the mineral intake of the cattle prior to sale The owner may
have thought intake was good, yet the hired help may actually know how
many bags of mineral were consumed weekly. |
| Work closely with your nutritionist and veterinarian to have a plan in
place. Should differences arise, do the diagnostics to learn what your
cattle have missed. Then work to correct the deficiency problem. |
