August 13, 2015
Zinpro's Availa® Plus now available in Europe
Zinpro Corporation recently introduced Availa® Plus in Europe, providing dairy and beef producers in the region with an innovative nutritional solution to foot health management.
Multiple studies have shown that feeding Availa-Plus helps to protect against digital dermatitis (DD), a common infectious foot disease, when fed as part of a well-fortified diet and according to specific feeding recommendations.
"Research has shown that the combination of essential trace minerals found in Availa-Plus are effective at helping to decrease the incidence of DD in cattle, when fed according to specific feeding recommendations," said Arturo Gomez, Zinpro's dairy veterinarian for Europe. "Improving trace mineral nutrition has been shown to help cattle in building stronger skin integrity and a more empowered immune system."
Digital dermatitis can cause painful lesions that often lead to lameness in dairy and beef cattle. Most notably, decreased milk production and poor reproductive performance are observed in dairy cattle.
When Availa-Plus is introduced into the diets of growing dairy heifers or beef cattle, research showed that these animals are better able to resist digital dermatitis and, therefore, are not as likely to contract it later in life.
In addition, growing dairy heifers exhibit improved feed efficiency during rearing and increased milk production after calving.
The bacteria that are thought to cause DD have the ability to penetrate deeply into the skin, so building a more resilient barrier against the bacteria is key to disease prevention. The formulation of Availa-Plus contains a unique combination of zinc, manganese and copper (from Zinpro Performance Minerals®), as well as iodine.
A key component of healthy skin, zinc helps to form strong skin cells, thus enhancing resistance against micro-tears which could lead to infection. Iodine and manganese strengthen macrophages to destroy bacteria. Copper and zinc are also critical for effective protection of immune systems.
