Can Horses Have Cobalt?

Cobalt can be administered to horses easily as a powder, feed supplement or injection. Although naturally occurring in horses, excessive amounts of the substance in the system can lead to severe side effects.

Is cobalt salt OK for horses?

This salt product is intended for beef cattle, dairy cows, horses, goats and pigs. These trace mineral salt licks or blocks are weather resistant for free choice feeding.

Why is cobalt banned in horse racing?

Gaskill explained that doctors used cobalt to treat anemia (essentially by increasing the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity) in humans for decades. However, it was associated with a variety of adverse effects, including gastrointestinal, neurologic, cardiovascular, and thyroid problems.

What mineral is toxic to horses?

Selenium can reach toxic levels quickly. Williams said the normal equine diet should contain one to three parts per million (ppm) of the mineral, but just 18 ppm is toxic.

How much is cobalt for horses?

The recommended cobalt requirement for horses has been set at 0.05 mg/kg (ppm) of dry matter intake, which should be met easily by feeding normal feedstuffs.

Why is cobalt given to horses?

Whilst cobalt is an essential trace element and is naturally present in the horse, it may also have the potential to enhance performance when present at concentrations that exceed normal physiological parameters.

How long does cobalt stay in a horses system?

Because the half-life of cobalt in the equine bloodstream is one week, a horse might not be able to race for up to two months.

Why is cobalt so toxic?

Sometimes, metal particles (cobalt) are released as the metal ball grinds against the metal cup when you walk. These metal particles (ions) can get released into the hip socket and sometimes the bloodstream, causing cobalt toxicity.

Is cobalt toxic to animals?

In addition, excess dietary cobalt produces toxic effects in animals. Polycythemia and hyperglycemia with transitory damage to pancreatic alpha-cells have been widely reported after cobalt administration. Cobalt salts induce respiratory deficiency in yeast.

What year will we run out of cobalt?

More than 70% of the world’s cobalt is produced in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and any nation that produces electronics wants in on that source. But based on operational mines and projected demand, forecasters predict that supply won’t be able to keep up with demand by 2030, or even as early as 2025.

What is highly toxic to horses?

Weeds: Onions/garlic, ground ivy, milkweed, bracken fern, cocklebur, horsetail, white snakeroot, St. Johns wort, star-of-Bethlehem, sorghum/sudangrass, yellow sweet clover, blue-green algae, bouncing bet, larkspur, mayapple, skunk cabbage. Trees: Black locust, oak (green acorns), horse chestnut, boxwood, holly.

What is the most important mineral for horses?

“Horses foremost need the minerals salt, calcium and phosphorus,” states Mays. “Salt is lost through sweat and urine so it should be available free choice to the horse at all times. Calcium and phosphorus are needed for healthy teeth and bones.

Can horses overdose on minerals?

Horses are subject to poisoning from many sources. Cases of mineral intoxication have been due to prepared feeds contaminated during manufacture; accidental addition of excessive minerals at the feed mill; use of minerals contaminated with unwanted elements, or the addition of the wrong supplement.

What is the best trace minerals for horses?

Magnesium and potassium are vital for muscle and nervous tissue function and cellular health. And additional smaller (trace) amounts of minerals like cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, selenium, and zinc are also necessary to maintain healthy, productive horses.

Does grass contain cobalt?

Different grassland species contain varying quantities of cobalt. It is generally assumed that clovers contain more than grasses. Whereas this is true when there is a plentiful supply of Co the reverse may obtain when Co supply is limiting. Among the grasses themselves, ryegrass (Lolium spp.)

What foods are rich in cobalt?

Good food sources of cobalt include:

• fish.
• nuts.
• green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli and spinach.
• cereals, such as oats.

What are the side effects of cobalt?

It can harm the eyes, skin, heart, and lungs. Exposure to cobalt may cause cancer. Workers may be harmed from exposure to cobalt and cobalt-containing products. The level of harm depends upon the dose, duration, and work being done.

What does cobalt do for animals?

All ruminants (including sheep, cattle and goats) require cobalt in their diet for the synthesis of vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is essential for energy metabolism and the production of red blood cells. Cobalt deficiency in soils can cause vitamin B12 deficiency in livestock.

What do they inject racehorses with?

Racehorses are injected with EPO, the blood-doping hormone that undid Lance Armstrong, and fed cobalt, which also increases the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.

What do leading racehorse trainers feed?

The traditional sources of energy are provided by whole oats, with varying amounts of cracked corn or rolled barley, whole sunflower seeds, and occasionally cracked lupins and beans, depending on availability.

What does B12 do for horses?

The horse needs cobalamin to ensure normal production of red blood cells in bone marrow, to maintain a healthy reproductive system and to support myelination of nerves. Vitamin B12 is also involved in the metabolism of fats and amino acids for energy.