Animal Health: More coverage, less effort

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SOLUTIONS ANIMAL HEALTH

For many farmers, protecting calves against coccidiosis involves giving a separate treatment at weaning. Or it can mean the hassle of selectively dosing animals and leaving an opportunity for the infection to cause harm in those that have not been treated. Both options can be a significant cost in time or money. Now New Zealand-owned Alleva Animal Health has created Turbo® Initial, an all-in-one world-first oral drench which provides weaned calves with broadspectrum worm parasite coverage as well as helping to protect against coccidiosis.

It is specifically designed to bridge the “immunity gap” after calves come off coccidiostat-treated meal and before their natural coccidiosis immunity has developed. This is when they are particularly vulnerable to infection.

Pahiatua farmer Richard Murfitt trialled the product last season and believes the switch is a ‘bit of a no brainer’ considering how well it works. It’s also cut the administration time by half as a separate treatment for coccidiosis isn’t required.

“I see it as good insurance really. It’s very easy, works well and we are happy with the transition.”

Turbo® Initial is the first product in the 3-stage Turbo® parasite control programme for growing cattle and is developed using the most effective ingredients for higher potency, better safety and coverage of key parasites at the right times – including resistant strains.

The second product, Turbo® Advance, is an oral drench targeting cattle in their second stage of growth after coccidiosis immunity has emerged. It is also suitable to use on cattle under 120kg. Stage three then provides two treatment options depending on preference. Turbo® Pour-on uses the DMI-Sorb™ rain resistant technology created by Alleva to meet NZ’s unruly weather conditions, while Turbo® Injection uses the Alleva Co-mectin™ formula of Eprinomectin and Ivermectin combined with Levamisole.

See www.alleva.co.nz

Trace mineral absorption is highly regulated by the body. For trace minerals to be utilised by an animal, they have to reach the small intestine, be absorbed by the intestinal cells or enterocytes and pass into the blood.

Zinpro utilises a patented process to create performance trace minerals. Zinpro bonds the metal to the amino acid, such as methionine, in a 1:1 metal to amino acid ratio. This allows the mineral to be absorbed through the amino acid transporter.

Performance trace minerals are able to avoid the various antagonistic interactions to which other trace mineral sources are subject and, therefore, reach the intestinal lining and be absorbed in the intestinal cells or enterocytes and pass into the blood.

Once in the blood (circulation), Zinpro Performance Minerals are excreted in the urine at a much slower rate than inorganic or low-quality organic trace minerals. This means minerals remain in circulation longer, allowing time for the tissues and cells to utilise the trace minerals more effectively hence improving metabolic availability to the animal which inevitably leads to improved animal performance. Inorganic trace minerals, on the other hand, are metal ions and must utilise the metal ion transporter for absorption into the enterocytes.

Only so much of an inorganic trace mineral can be absorbed through this transporter pathway while the rest is excreted. Additionally, when metal ions travel through the gastrointestinal tract, some are captured by antagonists, which are agents that can bind or block an inorganic in its pathway, making the mineral unavailable to the animal. This ultimately limits the animal’s ability to absorb the essential trace minerals and reach its full genetic potential.