PRE-CALVER + PROTECTED IODEX

Role of Iodine

• Iodine is an essential trace element for animals and is vital for growth, development, foetal development & reproduction.
• Iodine is found throughout the animal body in all tissues and in all body fluids.
• The main role of iodine is as a component of the thyroid hormones which regulate basic body metabolism, including the absorption of dietary nutrients and the maintenance of body temperature.
• Ruminants also require iodine as an essential trace element for the microbes found in the rumen.
• Iodine is required for milk production and is vitally important to support the growth & development of embryos.
• In pregnant animals, iodine passes freely across the placenta (the organ in the womb that nourishes the embryo) and accumulates in the blood & tissues of the growing foetus.

Iodine Deficiency

• Most Iodine deficiencies we see are simple i.e. low intakes of iodine from forage.
• A significant percentage of Irish farms grow grass and silage which are low in iodine.
• Without continuous daily supplementation these animals will not have adequate iodine in their diet.
• Induced deficiencies can occur when there are anti-nutritive factors in the feed.
• Goitrogens, factors in lush grass and high dietary calcium are examples.
• Goitrogenic feeds include brassicas – rape, kale, swedes and turnips.
• A further difficulty with iodine is that it is described as a ‘medium’ store element.
• Animals can only store iodine for a short period of time.
• This is why even following months of supplementation with iodine indoors, un-supplemented dairy cows at grass in the spring (ie. cows receiving no meals or minerals), may have low iodine status entering the breeding season.
• Over the past years there has been a significant reduction in iodine levels in dairy feeds to get milk powders compliant with consumer requirements for manufacture of infant formula.
• There are feeding situations where dairy cows are getting low levels of iodine – example where low levels of concentrate are fed.

Bioavailability of Iodine

Iodine is not physically a very stable element and up to 50% of feed iodine may sublime (goes from a solid to gas without passing through a liquid phase). Only iodine that is kept dry and cool and properly ‘protected’ when in contact with other minerals, will remain both physically & nutritionally available to the animal. Problems can also occur when Iodine is mixed in TMR or minerals spread on silage.

IODEX PROVIDES PROTECTED IODINE IN 3 DISTINCT FORMS FOR HIGH ABSORPTION AND BIOAVAILABILITY:

1)As a protected source to combat feed interactions, but still be available in the rumen, where 60% of iodine absorption occurs

2)As a protected form to bypass the rumen to be released later in the digestive tract

3)As a quickly available soluble source.