Trace Elements In Animals

Mineral deficiencies are frequently suspected when livestock performance does not meet the farmers expectations, particularly when animal growth rates do not meet target weights, livestock have a low resistance to parasites, production levels (wool or milk) are poor or reproductive performance of mature animals is poor. 

A number of common factors can contribute to mineral deficiencies in sheep and cattle including:

• Trace element deficient soil and pasture
• Low quantity or poor quality of available feed
• Worm burden
• Climatic conditions (particularly the absence of rain)
• Poor soil aeration
• High soil moisture
• Changes in pasture composition
  
  

Given that most farms are likely to suffer from at least one of the aforementioned factors, it is easy to see why livestock have a “hidden hunger” for essential minerals or trace elements, which can affect their performance. Often livestock can have this “hidden hunger” without showing a specific nutrient deficiency. By the time symptoms are evident the animal will already be experiencing a productivity reduction, resulting in a loss of profit to the farmer.

A broad-spectrum mineral supplement, such as Nutrimin is the best way to treat and control mineral deficiencies in sheep and cattle.
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A description of the importance of each trace element is described below.

Trace Elements in Animals

Copper	Necessary for hemoglobin formation (together with iron and B12 vitamin).Essential in enzyme system for hair development and pigmentation, bone development, reproduction and lactation. Some Deficiency Symptoms: Fading hair coat; light wool growth and straight, hair-like fibers, known as steely wool. Nervous symptoms, known as ataxia. Lameness, swelling of joints and fragility of bones. Nutritional anemia, commonly called "salt sick".
Zinc	Needed for bone and development for normal protein synthesis and metabolisms. Some Deficiency Symptoms: Loss of appetite and stunted growth. Poor hair development; slipping of wool. Rough and thickened skin in swine, known as parakeratosis.
Cobalt	Major function as a component of vitamin B12. Rumen microorganisms use cobalt for the synthesis of vitamin B12 and the growth of rumen bacteria. Some Deficiency Symptoms: Deficiency of Cobalt in cattle and sheep produces symptoms similar to a deficiency of vitamin B12. Ruminants grazing in cobalt deficient areas show loss of appetite, reduced growth, and loss in body weight, followed by emaciation, anemia, and eventually death. Frequently a depraved appetite is noted.
Manganese	Essential for normal bone formation. Required for growth and reproduction. (Involved in amino acid metabolism, fatty acid synthesis and cholesterol metabolisms). Some Deficiency Symptoms: Poor growth. Lameness, shortening and bowing of the legs, and enlarged joints. "Knuckling over" in calves. Impaired reproduction (testicular degeneration of males; defective ovulation of females). Slipped tendons.
Molybdenum	Stimulate action of rumen organisms.
Selenium	Needed for vitamin E adsorbtion and retention. As a nutrient is necessary to prevent tissue degeneration and fibrosis. (Nutritional muscular dystrophy in lambs and calves). Selenium protects animals from the toxic effects of certain heavy metals, such as cadmium in superphosphates. Some Deficiency Symptoms: Nutritional muscular dystrophy in lambs and calves.
Iodine	Needed by the thyroid gland for making (thyroxin) an iodine containing hormone which controls the rate of body metabolisms. Some Deficiency Symptoms: Goiter (big-neck) in humans, calves, lambs, and kids; stillbirths and weak young; hairless pigs; woolless lambs at birth.
Iron	Constituent of hemoglobin which transport oxygen. Also, iron plays a role in cellular oxidation. Some Deficiency Symptoms: Iron deficiency anemia, characterized by smaller than normal number of red cells and less than normal amount of hemoglobin.
Calcium	Essential in milk production, bone and teeth formation; nerve function; muscle contraction; blood coagulation; cell permeability. Some Deficiency Symptoms: Rickets in young. Osteomalacia in adults. Tetany (hypocalcemia). Milk fever in dairy cows in the classical example of Ca tetany.
Magnesium	Help to decrease tissue irritability. Essential for normal skeletal development as a constituent of bone. Some Deficiency Symptoms: Hyperirritability. Tetany (grass tetany, or grass staggers) characterized by loss of appetite, (anorexia), hyperemia, convulsions, and death.
Potassium	Influences carbohydrate metabolism, muscle activity. Involved in osmotic pressure and acid- base balance. Some Deficiency Symptoms: Growth retardation, unsteady gait, general muscle weakness, pica, diarrhea, distended abdomen, emaciation followed by death. Abnormal electro- cardiograms.)
Sodium	Associated with muscle contraction. Involved in osmotic pressure, and acid-base balance in body fluids, water balance, transfer of nutrients to the cells and removal of waste materials. Some Deficiency Symptoms: Reduced growth and efficiency of feed utilization in growing animals, reduced milk production and weight loss in adults. Lowered reproduction (infertility in males, and delayed sexual maturity in females.)
Phosphorous	Involved in bone and teeth formation, in energy metabolism.
Sulphur	Required as a component of sulphur containing amino acids cystine and methionine and component of biotin; and thiamin, carbohydrate metabolism. Some Deficiency Symptoms: Retarded growth, primarily due to not meeting the sulphur amino acid requirement for protein synthesis. Sheep fed nonprotein nitrogen to replace protein without Sulphur supplementation show reduced wool growth (wool contains approximately 4% sulphur).