1800202426
Animal Healthcare
Importance of Vitamin D for Cattle Health
Vitamin D – The Sunshine Vitamin
Vitamin D plays a significant role in enabling high milk yield and developing stronger bones. It is also vital in regulating calcium and phosphorus absorption, which is further important for bone calcification. The details of this topic will be discussed in detail later.
Through this blog, we will take you on an elaborate journey of why Vitamin D is important for cattle health, how it can help fight many diseases, and how to understand the multi-dimensional roles of Vitamin D for cattle.
Vitamin D comes in two main forms: Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3. The cattle can very well consume Vitamin D2 in the form of plant-associated fungi and vitamin D3 can be synthesized in their skin via exposure to the sun’s UVB light.
If we’re talking about how much of it is required for the cattle daily, here are some stats –
- Cattle: At least 15 to 20 International Units (IU) per pound of bodyweight
- Cows: At least 20,000 IU per day
- Heifers: 10,000 to 20,000 IU per day, depending on size
Impact of Vitamin D on cattle productivity
The ‘sunshine vitamin’ is considered to be one of the crucial nutrients that contribute to cattle productivity.
It plays a vital role in calcium and phosphorus metabolism. Along with that, Vitamin D is pivotal in bone calcification of cattle. There have also been studies that have indicated that Vitamin D has activated a critical element of the inborn immunity system in cattle against microbial pathogens, and has a major influence on the expression of genes related to muscular anabolism and protein synthesis in feeding cattle.
Also, Vitamin D is vital in helping cattle battle milk fever – a metabolic disorder in cows that occurs when the calcium levels in their blood go down. As its core functionality, Vitamin D in cattle is not just important in maintaining calcium homoeostasis, but as mentioned earlier, is associated with immunity as well.
Apart from all these, Vitamin D in cattle is important in prenatal support for the development of the calf before birth.
So, if Vitamin D is so important, how can the cattle get them apart from sunlight?
Sources of Vitamin D for cattle
Now that we’ve understood that Vitamin D for cattle can be obtained from multiple sources, let’s know what these are.
- Forages: Forages like alfalfa hay can contain up to 2,500 IU of vitamin D2 per kilogram of dry matter
- Feed: Cattle can get vitamin D from their feed
- Parenteral injections: Cattle can receive Vitamin D through injections
- UVB irradiation: Cattle can get Vitamin D from UVB irradiation from the sun or artificial lighting
These sources can help cattle fight some of the most harmful diseases. Let’s dive deep to understand what those can be and how Vitamin D plays a significant role in eliminating them.
Vitamin D vs. Cattle Diseases
Vitamin D in cattle acts like a shield when it comes to diseases. It creates a crucial protection element by supporting the immune system against microbial pathogens, as we discussed earlier, and prevents further infection in the cattle. But, how does that happen?
- Creating immune system support: The Vitamin D-dependent immune responses in cattle are controlled through intracrine and paracrine signaling mechanisms in the cattle, similar to human immune systems. When there’s a severe bacterial infection, these signaling mechanisms are exploited and the cattle’s immune system is compromised. Therefore, Vitamin D ensures that the signaling pathway is reinforced with security.
- Offering protection against infections: Vitamin D contributes to several aspects of cattle immunity through oxidant and antioxidant responses. There have been several studies that indicate decreased effects of mastitis and metritis in dairy cattle.
- Defeating Mastitis: Some findings indicate that Vitamin D or its metabolite 25(OH)D can be vital in enhancing the immunity function and a useful way to prevent mastitis.
Now, let’s understand how we can make it possible right from the start.
How can Vitamin D impact the lactating cattle and its growth?
Vitamin D in lactating cattle
Most lactating cow diets provide cows with 30,000 to 50,000 IU (0.75 to 1.25 mg) supplemental Vitamin D3 per day. Likewise, dry cow diets (whose daily intake should ideally be 1.8-2% of the cow’s body weight) and closeup cow diets (a high-energy diet for cows in the last 2 to 3 weeks before giving birth) usually provide at least 20,000 to 30,000 IU of supplemental vitamin D3 per day.
Also, some studies have well established that cattle undergo systemic inflammation during early lactation. These studies have shown that plasma 25(OH)D (as discussed earlier) concentration in cow herds is lower at early lactation than at later lactation during the dry period, even if the daily Vitamin D3 intake is similar during the different periods.
Therefore, it might be vindicated that reduced plasma concentrations of 25(OH)D in cattle during early lactation are due to reduced formation of 25(OH)D in the liver as a consequence of a dysregulation of the Vitamin D status due to multiple causes of inflammation such as metabolic stress or infectious diseases.
Apart from that, one of the major concerns for lactating cattle is the irreversible loss of calcium in the milk yield. This can lead to a condition called clinical hypocalcemia – meaning, low calcium. This can further damage the immunity system, smooth functioning of the muscles, and insulin signaling in the cows.
Therefore, careful management of lactating cows and their diets is necessary for the prevention of maladaptation to the requirement of calcium at the onset of lactation.
Now that we’ve deeply understood the impacts of Vitamin D in lactating cattle, let’s also get to know why they require supplements.
Purpose of Vitamin D supplements for cattle
Though Vitamin D is popularly known as Sunshine Vitamin, it is not always necessary that cattle get all the vital vitamins from UVB rays. It would be wrong to completely depend on sunlight for cattle health and productivity. Therefore, vitamin supplements are a crucial and worthy inclusion in the cattle diet.
Let’s understand why Vitamin D supplements are necessary to support cattle growth. Here’s why:
- Helps in bone and teeth formation: By now, you might have had the idea that Vitamin D essentially helps regulate calcium levels in the blood. It also basically increases the absorption from the digestive tract and metabolic use of calcium and phosphorus, hence converting inorganic phosphorus into organic.
- Helps prevent rickets: Along with strengthening cattle teeth and bones, Vitamin D supplements also play a crucial role in preventing rickets in young animals or osteomalacia in mature animals. Vitamin D is associated with rickets’ involvement in the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus.
- Reduces the number of weak calves: Apart from helping reduce rickets, Vitamin D for cattle is also essentially needed to lower the incidences of having weak, deformed, or dead calves during the calving season.
- Prevents milk fever: Just like we discussed in one of the previous topics of how Vitamin D can impact the productivity of milk, Vitamin D crucially helps cattle’s body absorb calcium from the digestive tract. Also, continuous feeding of vitamin D for cattle reduced the incidence of milk fever in cows with previous milk fever from 60% in the controls to 26.1% in the group fed vitamin D10. In the cows with no milk fever previously, feeding vitamin D did not reduce the incidence of milk fever (controls 23.7%, vitamin-D-fed 28.3%).
- Improves fertilization rates: The addition of just low to moderate concentrations of Vitamin D to the medium during IVP of bovine embryos leads to a greater number of embryos at an appropriate developmental stage at the end of culture, as well as improving the quality of these embryos.
Now that we’ve understood why supplements of Vitamin D for cattle are needed for cattle, let’s dive deep into the effects of what could happen if the cattle were deprived of Vitamin D.
Winter challenges for cattle
Wet and cold weather can prove to be a breeding playground for fertile bacteria and diseases. An outbreak of those can turn out to be a nightmare for the cattle farmers as well as the cattle themselves. Here’s what can cause major problems during the winter season for cattle.
- Multiple diseases: Cold and wet weather conditions can cause the bacteria to spread, in turn, threatening the cattle’s health and productivity. Some diseases bound to hound the cattle are IBR, leptospirosis, BVD, and salmonella.
- Winter dysentery: This is a highly contagious disease and has been known to affect 30-50% of the herd, but in some cases, it has also affected 100% of the herd. There’s a plausible risk of death ranging from 1-2%. However, secondary bacterial infections can also be the cause.
- Cold stress: During winter, cattle can go into cold stress, which can directly cause an impact on their health and productivity. Another reason that might lead to cold stress is the substandard quality of fodder during that season. Cold stress can further impact milk production, reproduction, and body condition scores. Lack of a proper drainage system for urine and other secretions as wet floors can make cattle susceptible to further diseases like chronic cough.
In conclusion, vitamin D is essential for the overall health and productivity of cows, playing a critical role in calcium and phosphorus metabolism, bone health, and immune function. Its importance extends to reproductive health and milk production, making it vital for both lactating cows and growing calves. Ensuring adequate vitamin D levels through sunlight exposure or dietary supplements is crucial for maintaining the well-being and performance of cattle, ultimately benefiting livestock operations.
Add your comment