Effect of copper supplementation on copper status of pregnant mares and foals.

The study investigates the effect of copper supplementation on the copper status of pregnant thoroughbred horses and their foals. The researchers found that increasing the copper intake of mares had a positive effect on the copper status of foals.

Research Methodology

• The researchers carried out this research involving 21 pregnant Thoroughbred mares which were grazed on tall fescue pasture containing 4.4-8.6 mg Copper/kg dry matter (DM).
• Out of the mares, twelve were given a supplement of about 0.5 mg Copper/kg live weight per day as copper sulphate that continued 13-25 weeks into gestation.

Findings

• The researchers observed the plasma copper concentration and found that it declined during the third trimester for all mares. This change in copper concentration was not influenced by the copper supplementation.
• They determined the liver copper concentration of mares and foals when the foals were between 4 to 10 days old. This was done to ascertain the direct effect of the copper supplementation on both the pregnant mares and their offspring.
• The findings showed that copper supplementation tended to increase copper concentration in the livers of the mares. This increase however did not achieve statistical significance (P<0.08).
• However, in the foals there was a significant increase in liver copper concentration (P<0.01). This implies that the copper supplementation of the mares had a positive effect on the copper status of the foals.
• A significant correlation was found between the mare and foal liver copper concentration (P<0.001, r2 = 0.7). This showed that mare's copper levels directly influenced those of the foal.

Conclusion

• The study results suggest that an increase in the copper intake of pregnant mares plays a vital role in enhancing the copper status of foals. This could help in planning properly balanced nutritional diets for pregnant mares to ensure better copper status for their offspring.