Veterinary Archives, Vol. 86 No. 3, 2016.
Original scientific paper
The relationship of copper concentrations in feed and plasma to developmental orthopedic disease in foals.
Alparslan Coskun
; Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey
Ozgur Ozdemir
; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey
Muharrem Erol
; Department of Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey
Hayrettin Kirbiyik
; Gemlik Military Veterinary School, Gemlik, Bursa, Turkey
Abstract
The study group consisted of ten foals, 3-6 months old, 6 male and 4 female, KWPN breed, with developmental orthopedic disease (DOD). The control group consisted of eight healthy foals. On clinical examination, lameness, swelling of joints, and pain were observed in all foals. Clinical, radiographic, and pathological findings in ten foals indicated DOD. Serum Cu concentrations in foals with DOD were significantly lower than in the control group (0.094 ± 0.011 mg/kg vs, 0.932 ± 0.068 mg/kg, respectively; P<0.05). Serum Zn levels (1.828 ± 0.180 mg/kg vs. 0.9257 ± 0.052 mg/kg, respectively, P>0.05), serum Ca levels (187.836 ± 7.921 μg/dL vs. 150.912 ± 5.271 μg/dL, respectively, P >0.05), and serum P levels (247.339 ± 10.729 μg/dL vs. 190.470 ± 5.775 μg/dL, respectively, P >0.05) were observed both in foals with DOD and in healthy foals. There were no statistically significant differences between the DOD group and the control group with respect to serum levels of Ca, P and Zn. We concluded that DOD is associated with reduced serum levels of Cu in foals. Copper is an important trace element for growing foals.
Keywords
foals; copper; minerals; trace elements; developmental orthopedic disease
Hrčak ID:
159963
URI
Publication date:
10.6.2016.
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