Effect Of An Aluminum Supplement On Nutrient Digestibility And Mineral Metabolism In Thoroughbred Horses

Roose, K.A., K.E. Hoekstra, J.D. Pagan and R.J. Geor. 2001. Effect of an aluminum supplement on nutrient digestibility and mineral metabolism in Thoroughbred horses. In: Proc. 16th Equine Nutr. and Physiol. Soc. Symp. pp. 364-369.

The effect of aluminum supplementation on nutrient digestibility and macro- and micromineral balance was studied in balance trials in mature Thoroughbred horses (n=4) in a replicated 2 X 2 Latin square experiment, with each period lasting four weeks. A 5-day complete digestion trial was performed at the end of each period. The treatments were: 1) a basal diet that consisted of 2 kg/d unfortified sweet feed, 6.8 kg/d mixed hay and 1 oz sodium chloride, and containing 159.90 ppm of aluminum; and 2) the basal diet plus 224 g of an aluminum-containing supplement (30301 ppm aluminum in the form of dihydroxy-aluminum sodium carbonate and aluminum phosphate), and providing 931 ppm aluminum. There was no effect of aluminum supplementation on nutrient digestibility or the metabolism of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper and boron. However, urinary iron excretion was higher (P < 0.05) for the aluminum-supplemented diet compared to the basal diet. It is concluded that short-term consumption of a diet containing 930 ppm aluminum has negligible effect on nutrient digestibility and mineral metabolism in horses.

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