Zinpro Corporation Introduces Availa-Plus In U.S. Market For Dairy Cattle and Beef Cattle
New Research-Proven Product Delivers Nutritional
Solution
To Help Control Digital Dermatitis From The Inside Out
Eden Prairie, Minn. (Nov. 1, 2013) – The
introduction of Availa®Plus, from Zinpro
Corporation, now provides
U.S. dairy and beef producers with an entirely new approach to foot health
management. Availa-Plus, when fed as part of a new premix formula (DD Premix
Formula), delivers a novel nutritional solution to provide protection against
digital dermatitis (commonly known as hairy heel warts) by helping enhance an
animal’s ability to resist the development of painful lesions in contaminated
environments.
“Indications
are that the
essential trace minerals contained in Availa-Plus are highly
effective at decreasing both the prevalence and severity of digital dermatitis in
cattle when fed as part of the DD Premix Formula,” says Mike Socha, Ph.D.,
Regional RNS Manager – North America, Zinpro Corporation.
Dr. Socha
explains that Availa-Plus contains a unique combination of
complexed zinc, manganese, copper and cobalt (from Zinpro Performance Minerals®),
plus potassium iodide. “Feeding Availa-Plus as part of a well-fortified diet
helps cattle build stronger skin integrity and a more empowered immune system
from the inside out,” he notes. “The bacteria that are thought to cause digital
dermatitis have the ability to penetrate into deeper layers of the skin, so
building a more resilient barrier against the bacteria is key to preventing the
disease from taking hold.”
Digital
dermatitis produces painful lesions that can lead to lameness in dairy and beef
cattle, and the impact of lameness on animal performance is costly and
wide-reaching. Most notably, this includes decreased milk production and poor
reproductive performance in dairy cattle.
“Digital
dermatitis is the most prevalent infectious claw lesion on the globe,” says Dörte
Döpfer, DVM., Ph.D., University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr.
Döpfer, together with Arturo Gomez Rivas, DVM, MS, led research efforts at the
University of Wisconsin to investigate the efficacy of feeding complexed trace
minerals from Availa-Plus, in combination with other trace minerals, in
decreasing digital dermatitis prevalence in cattle.
Dr. Socha
explains peer-reviewed research has proven repeatedly over time that feeding Zinpro Performance
Minerals helps improve skin integrity. “Because digital dermatitis occurs
following a disruption in the skin/pathogen border, we had an idea for a new combination
trace mineral product that was designed to help make this border more
resilient.”
Dr. Döpfer
says her team has an interest in alternative methods to prevent and control
digital dermatitis, so it began an experimental model to evaluate the potential
effectiveness of this new nutritional solution to provide protection against
this highly prevalent and costly disease.
According
to Dr. Döpfer, research results indicated significant differences between pre-calving
dairy heifers fed the DD Premix Formula with Availa-Plus and heifers fed the control
diet. Heifers fed the DD Premix Formula with Availa-Plus showed positive
results in both first and recurrent lesions, as well as lesion severity. “There
are essentially two periods during the development of the disease when it can
be prevented and controlled immediately. It must either be prevented before it
infects an animal or during the early stages of lesion development.” She notes
that treating digital dermatitis without recurrence of lesions is extremely
difficult once the disease progresses and reaches the chronic stage.
Footbaths
and topical antibiotics are used widely to prevent and treat digital dermatitis;
however,
each of these treatments comes with its own set of challenges. The essential
nutrients found in Availa-Plus, when fed as part of the new DD Premix Formula,
have shown promising results in lowering the prevalence of digital dermatitis
lesions and consequently decreasing the use of footbaths and topical
antibiotics when included as part of an integrated prevention and control management
strategy. Additional measures for controlling digital dermatitis in cattle include
combating risk factors by implementing good hygiene, sound biosecurity practices,
and understanding whether animals suffer chronically from the disease or only
on a single occasion.
Dr. Döpfer
emphasizes that it is especially important to get a heifer off to
a healthy start, free of digital dermatitis, through an integrated
prevention and control strategy. “A heifer that enters her first
lactation free of the disease is more likely to be a productive member of the
herd longer than one that enters first lactation infected with this disease,” she
stresses.
For more
information about Availa-Plus and
the DD Premix Formula, please visit www.zinpro.com/availa-plus or
contact your local Zinpro representative.
Image
caption:
Zinpro Corporation introduces Availa-Plus
in the U.S. market for dairy and beef cattle. Research has shown the essential
nutrients found in Availa-Plus, when fed as part of the DD Premix Formula, are
highly effective at decreasing both the prevalence and severity of digital
dermatitis.