The effects of copper supplementation on the prevalence of cartilage lesions in foals.

This study explored the potential impact of copper supplementation in diet on the development of cartilage defects in foals. The study found that foals who received a diet lower in copper experienced more cartilage lesions and osteochondrosis compared to those supplemented with copper.

Methods

• Twenty-one mares were used in the study, receiving diets that contained either 13 parts per million (ppm) copper (control group, CuC) or 32 ppm copper (supplement group, CuS). The diet was administered during the last trimester of pregnancy and the first three months of the foals’ life.
• The foals, once born, were also administered diets containing either 15 ppm or 55 ppm copper.
• Foals were euthanized at either 90 days (5 CuC and 5 CuS foals) or 180 days (6 CuC and 5 CuS foals) for necropsy to investigate the cartilage conditions.

Findings

• In 90-day-old foals, the study found twice as many lesions of osteochondrosis and more than four times as many articular lesions of osteophyte formation or thinning in CuC foals compared to CuS foals.
• Similar patterns were observed in foals killed at 180 days, with seven times more articular lesions, and over five times as many cartilage lesions in the CuC foals compared to CuS foals, indicating less healthy joint and cartilage development in foals with lower copper intake.
• The differences in lesion counts were predominantly caused by a high number of lesions in a single foal in the CuC group.

Conclusions

• This research suggests a potential influence of dietary copper on the development of cartilage defects in foals, with lower copper levels associated with more severe conditions.
• Copper supplementation might thus be a viable preventative measure against such defects, however, further research and larger samples are needed to strengthen the findings and rule out individual differences within the groups.