ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE July 2025 45 Heat Stress 0 1 2 4 8 12 18 24 Cr-EDTA (µg/L) 500 400 300 200 100 0 Trt: P = 0.01 Time: P > 0.01 Trt x Time: P < 0.06 CON IBZ h health issues that threaten an animal’s health and performance. Nutritional interventions can be easily implemented into farm operations and generally do not require expensive structural capital investments. A research trial conducted by the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University in collaboration with Selko looked at how switching from a sulfate to Selko® IntelliBond® Zinc (Zn) source can mitigate the adverse effects of heat stress in dairy cows. Selko® IntelliBond® Z is a hydroxychloride trace mineral with a crystalline structure and covalent bond. This structure is designed to make minerals less soluble and more available to the animal compared to sulfate minerals. Researchers hypothesized that replacing Zn sulfate with Selko® IntelliBond® Z in dairy cow diets would be an effective dietary practice to mitigate heat stress-induced GIT pathology and systemic inflammation in lactating Holstein cows. In the trial, researchers evaluated the effects of a sulfate Zn mineral and Selko® IntelliBond® Z on metabolism, inflammation, and GIT permeability during and following heat stress. The trial involved 24 mid-lactation Holstein cows, divided into two groups: One group received a control diet with Zn sulfate and the other group was supplemented with the IntelliBond source. Cows were subjected to three experimental periods: A baseline period in thermoneutral conditions, a heat stress period using electric heat blankets, and a recovery period in thermoneutral conditions. 4 TRIAL TAKEAWAYS The study comparing the sulphate and IntelliBond Z sources revealed four key health and performance improvements among animals supplemented with IntelliBond: 1. Improved intestinal barrier function: During heat stress, cows supplemented with a IntelliBond Z showed a marked decrease in gastrointestinal permeability compared to cows in the control group (Figure 1). This improvement was particularly evident in the early stages of heat stress, suggesting that Selko® IntelliBond® Z helps maintain the integrity of the GIT barrier. Figure 1. Cr-EDTA in serum of cows fed control or IntelliBond Z indicating improved gut integrity with IntelliBond Z AdobeStock | Frédéric Prochasson
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