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Lameness is a welfare issue and is the most common involuntary reason for culling pigs. Study objectives were to compare objective measures of lameness to gait score and assess effects of dietary chelated trace minerals in finisher pigs. The study was a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement consisting of naturally- occurring lame vs healthy pigs and 2 dietary treatments: 1) metal methionine hydroxy analogue chelate (MMHAC) supplied as MINTREX® Zn-Cu-Mn (Novus International, Inc.) supplemented at 80-10-20 mg/kg diet; and 2) sulfates Zn-Cu-Mn supplemented at 120-20-40 mg/kg diet. The study consisted of 4 groups of pigs (50-70 kg; 8 lame/8 non-lame per group) staggered one month apart. Dietary treatments were fed 53d. Measurements included gait scoring (0-4) and a panel of serum biomarkers (P2CP, CTX2, C2C, CTX1, osteocalcin) and were measured at baseline, d28 and d53. Serum biomarkers included bone synthesis (osteocalcin), bone degradation (CTXI), cartilage synthesis (P2CP), and cartilage degradation (C2C, CTX2) as well as the ratio of synthesis/ degradation for a total of 8 biomarkers. Proc Mixed GLM procedure of SAS was used and means were determined using a Tukey test. The main effects of healthy vs lame and dietary treatment were significant, but no diet x lameness interactions were observed. Lame pigs had elevated CTX2 (P< .01), C2C (P=.02) and tended to have reduced ratio of P2CP:CTX2 (P=.09) compared to healthy pigs. MMHAC increased P2CP (P=.01) and P2CP:CTX2 ratio (P=.03) in both healthy and lame pigs compared to sulfates. These findings demonstrate that biomarkers can distinguish mildly lame pigs (average score of 1) from healthy pigs and lower concentrations of MMHAC vs commercial level of sulfates increased cartilage synthesis and the ratio of cartilage synthesis/degradation in both lame and healthy pigs.

Lameness in gilts and sows has an economic impact on pig production and is a major welfare concern. The objective of the present project was to evaluate and quantify lameness in pigs. The following methods were compared to visual gait scoring: force-plate, hoof hardness and hoof lesions. Eight barrows and seven gilts (114 ± 15 kg) were selected using visual gait scoring (0-4, 4 most severe). From this group there were 4-0’s, 4-1’s, 5-2’s, and 2-3’s. Factorial analyses, (site: front vs rear) and lameness score (0-3) and their interaction was used to evaluate effect of treatment. Consistent with published literature, rear legs were more affected by lameness than front legs (73% rear, 27% front). Only two categories for hoof lesions (white line lesion and heel erosion) were prevalent in this population. White line lesion severity increased with increasing lameness score and differed between site (P < 0.05). In contrast with literature, more white line lesions were prevalent in front vs rear. Hoof hardness was scored at 5 locations on the bottom of the hoof. At the toe tip only, there was a trend (P = 0.052) for hoof hardness to decrease with increasing lameness score, but no effect of site (P = 0.39) or interaction. Among force-plate measurements, there was a significant effect of lameness (P < 0.05) for maximum force, range (95th percentile-5th percentile), standard deviation of force, amplitude of weight-bearing (average of all positive peaks), amplitude of weight-removing (average of all negative peaks), but no significant effect observed for average force, weight shift (# of peaks/min) or contralateral ratio. On average, more weight was applied to front vs rear [30.4 vs 19.6%; (P < 0.05)]. Although further validation is warranted, these results indicate that these objective measures of lameness were sensitive enough to detect differences between lame vs non-lame pigs.

Lameness in gilts and sows has an economic impact on pig production and is a major welfare concern. Study objectives were to compare subjective and objective lameness measurements and assess efficacy of chelated trace minerals in finisher pigs. Two dietary treatments: metal methionine hydroxy analogue chelate (MMHAC) supplied as MINTREX® Zn-Cu-Mn (Novus International, Inc.) supplemented at 80-10-20 mg/kg diet; and sulfates Zn-Cu-Mn supplemented at 120-20-40 mg/kg diet were fed. Four groups of pigs (50-70 kg; 8 pigs/grp) were fed dietary treatments for a duration of 8 wk prior to injection of 2 mg sodium urate crystals into the right rear distal interphalangeal joint. Data collection occurred at baseline, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 144 hr post-urate injection. Measurements included gait scoring (0-4), a panel of serum biomarkers for synthesis and degradation of cartilage (P2CP, CTX2, C2C), bone (osteocalcin, CTX1) and static force-plate. A Proc Mixed GLM procedure of SAS was used and means were determined using a Tukey test. Urate injections resulted in elevated gait scores, peaking at 12 hr and similar to baseline at 72 hr; pigs fed MMHAC had lower gait scores (P< 0.01) compared to sulfate. C2C (P=0.09), CTX2 (P=0.10) and osteocalcin (P< 0.01) paralleled closely to changes in gait score, peaking at 12 h and returning to baseline at 24 to 72 hr. Osteocalcin (P=0.07) and osteocalcin: CTX1 ratio (P=0.05) were increased with MMHAC. These findings demonstrate that biomarkers can distinguish between healthy vs lame pigs and MMHAC, at lower concentrations vs sulfates, reduced gait score and increased osteocalcin.

Background The goal of this study was to compare the antagonism of elevated dietary Cu (250 mg/kg) from CuSO4 on three different Zn sources (ZnSO4 · H2O; [Zn bis(−2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)butanoic acid)], Zn(HMTBa)2, a chelated Zn methionine hydroxy analogue; and Zn-Methionine), as measured using multiple indices of animal performance in ROSS 308 broilers. Methods Three experiments were conducted in broiler chicks fed a semi-purified diet. All birds were fed a Zn-deficient diet (8.5 mg/kg diet) for 1 wk, and then provided with the experimental diets for 2 wks. Results Experiment 1 was a 2 × 2 factorial design with two levels of Cu (8 vs. 250 mg/kg diet from CuSO4) and two Zn sources at 30 mg/kg [ZnSO4 · H2O vs. Zn(HMTBa)2]. Elevated Cu impaired growth performance only in birds fed ZnSO4. Compared to ZnSO4 · H2O, Zn(HMTBa)2 improved feed intake (12 %; P

SUMMARY Dietary supplementation of trace minerals with a large safety margin is common practice in the poultry industry to prevent trace mineral deficiency. However, oversupplementation of inorganic trace minerals often results in poor bioavailability and low body retention, and can result in more than 90% of the dietary trace minerals being excreted into the environment. In this trial, litter mineral concentrations at the conclusion of the study had very high concentrations of Ca (2.3%), P (1.7%), Cu (150 ppm), Fe (350 ppm), Mn (420 ppm), and Zn (350 ppm). It has been demonstrated that chelated trace minerals are more bioavailable, perhaps because of reduced loss to antagonisms in the intestinal lumen compared with inorganic sources. In 2 commercial broiler trials, performance, meat yield, and footpad health associated with reducing Zn and Mn supplementation while feeding a 50:50 blend of inorganic (sulfates) and chelated forms of Zn, Cu, and Mn were tested. Birds fed the blended treatment exhibited similar or improved growth performance and similar tissue mineral storage compared with those fed the inorganic trace mineral control. In addition, chelated trace minerals improved breast meat yield and footpad health in one trial. In summary, chelated trace minerals are effective alternative trace mineral sources for satisfying the trace mineral needs of rapidly growing broilers and allowing for a reduction in dietary mineral supplementation, thereby potentially reducing the excretion of minerals into the environment.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of feeding the dietary antioxidant Agrado Plus (AOX; Novus International, St. Louis, MO) in diets that contained 2% fresh fat (FF) or oxidized fat (OF) on milk production and composition and antioxidant status of cows during mid to late lactation. Forty-four mid to late lactating primiparous cows housed in a tie-stall barn were fed a diet that contained 2% FF for 15 d as adaptation period and then randomly allocated to 1 of the 4 dietary treatments (FF, FF+AOX, OF, OF +AOX) for 6 wk. Feeding AOX increased dry matter intake, 3.5% fat-corrected milk, and milk fat yield, and decreased milk protein content but not yield. Feeding OF increased milk fat yield, but decreased dry matter intake and body weight gain. Milk fat composition changed with treatments: AOX increased cis 18:1 and decreased trans-11 18:1, whereas OF decreased trans-9 and trans-11 18:1 and cis-9, trans-11 18:2 in milk. Plasma antioxidant enzymes and status were affected by treatments. Feeding OF increased superoxidase dismutase activity but decreased plasma antioxidant status, whereas AOX supplementation increased glutathione peroxidase activity across fat types and increased the antioxidant status and superoxidase dismutase activity when feeding OF diets. It can be concluded that feeding AOX improved lactation performance and the antioxidant status of the cow across fat types, and feeding OF increased milk fat yield but decreased dry matter intake, body weight gain, and antioxidant status. The negative effects of feeding OF were partially alleviated by AOX.

The objective of this study was to compare the gain-response curve to dietary levels of 2-hydroxy-4(methylthio) butanoic acid (HMTBA) and DL-Met (DLM) across 4 floor pen trials in which different diets were used. Six replicates of 38 or 41 birds per pen (trials 1 to 2 and 3 to 4, respectively) were used in a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement. A control with 12 replicates was also included. The 2 Met sources were fed at 3 equimolar levels equally spaced, with the highest level added at requirements from 1 to 48, 49, 43, or 49 d for trials 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Commercial-type TSAA-deficient control diets contained sorghum, wheat, corn, or corn plus meat and bone meal for trials 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Performance improved at all times for most parameters after supplementing with HMTBA or DLM (P0.05). No differences were found in the birds fed HMTBA or DLM at any age and trial (P0.05), except for trial 1, in which 17-d-old birds performed better when fed HMTBA than DLM (P0.05). In each trial, linear, quadratic, and exponential regressions were conducted upon the gain response of birds fed HMTBA and DLM separately. Equations with better goodness of fit were used to compare the estimated gain responses to feeding HMTBA vs. DLM. In 3 trials, the shape of the gain-response curve differed when feeding HMTBA vs. DLM. In trials 3 and 4, feeding HMTBA at commercial levels resulted in greater gain responses than DLM (P0.05), whereas, in trials 2 and 4, at very deficient levels, DLM-fed birds outperformed those fed HMTBA (P0.05). When the 4 trials were combined, the dose-response curve with the best goodness of fit was linear for HMTBA and quadratic for DLM. It can be concluded that the 2 Met sources have a different dose-response form, HMTBA could outperform DLM at commercial levels, and DLM could outperform HMTBA at deficient levels.

Karen J Wedekind,1 Josie A Coverdale,2 Thomas R Hampton,1 Cindy A Atwell,1 Roy H Sorbet,3 Jenea Lunnemann,1 Robert J Harrell,1 Laura Greiner,4 Nancy K Keith,5 Joseph L Evans,1 Junmei Zhao,1 Chris D Knight1 1Novus International, Inc., St Charles, MO, USA; 2Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA; 3Certus International, Inc., Chesterfield, MO, USA; 4Innovative Swine Solution, Carthage, IL, USA; 5Keith Associates, Springfield, MO, USA Purpose: To determine the efficacy of an equine joint supplement STEADFAST® and/or its active components (Natural Eggshell Membrane [NEM®] and chelated trace minerals [CTM]) in horses with naturally occurring osteoarthritis or in a chemically induced osteoarthritis rat model. In addition, the efficacy of CTM vs inorganic trace minerals (ITM) (Zn, Mn, and Cu) in reducing culling rates in swine was evaluated. Methods: Horse trial: 16 mature horses with existing lameness were fed test joint supplement or placebo for 42 d. Lameness (American Association Equine Practitioner scoring system), serum biomarkers (C-terminal cross-linked telopeptide type II collagen [CTXII] and N-propeptide type IIA collagen [PIIANP]), and synovial fluid WBC were assessed biweekly. Rat trial: A chemically induced (monoiodoacetate [MIA]) osteoarthritis rat model was utilized. Rats were fed either negative control or joint supplement at 1% or 2% inclusion in Exp 1 (n=54) for 56 d. In Exp 2 (n=48), rats were fed control, NEM, CTM, or NEM + CTM for 42 d (28 d prefeed + Exp period). Rats were injected with MIA d29. Pain, knee swelling, and CTXII were measured post-MIA injection. Sow trial: Two farms with 6,400 sows each were fed ITM or 50:50 blend of ITM:CTM at equal TM levels for ~3 yr. Treatments were initiated at weaning through entry into the breeding herd. Sows remained on treatment until culled. Sow retention rate and reasons for removal were measured. Results: In horse and rat trials, chondromodulating effects of the joint supplement were observed: increased cartilage synthesis (PIIANP) or decreased cartilage degradation (CTXII). CTM + NEM decreased pain, swelling, and CTXII, compared to control and/or CTM or NEM alone (P30% with CTM supplementation (P