Trace Mineral Supplementation in Peripartum Dairy Cows

PICCO SJ

Cartagena de Indias

Conferencia; Virbac Dairy Symposium; 2017

Virbac

Microminerals are essential trace elements necessary to prevent reproductive, productive and immunological disorders1. During early lactation, high-yielding cows typically go through a period of negative energy balance (NEB), a process which induces important metabolic changes. These changes reveal the real adaptation problems of experienced by high production cows at the beginning of lactation2. Rapid adaptation hampers basic functions such as the immune response, the animal´s own maintenance and the reproductive function, leading to many of the common alterations observed during the peripartum period. Immunological failures increase the incidence of partum-associated conditions such as mastitis and metritis, and nutritional and immunological imbalances eventually lead to poor reproductive performance2,3.During NEB adaptation, the animals are subjected to different forms of stress. Oxidative stress is one of the main manifestations, and it has been directly linked to the immune response capacity and the presence of trace minerals such as zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and selenium (Se)4. In the case of Se, it participates in the antioxidant response and in the regulation of basal and energetic metabolism through iodothyronine deionidase enzymes, which are linked to thyroid hormone metabolism5. On the other hand, the only role of iodine is to give functionality to thyroid hormones6.The objective of the present study was to determine the reproductive, health and metabolic impact of the parental administration of an experimental formulation containing Cu, Zn, Se and iodine on high-performance dairy cows.