Influence of liver copper status of mare and newborn foal on the development of osteochondrotic lesions.
Authors: van Weeren P R, Knaap J, Firth E C
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Osteochondrosis remains a multifactorial developmental orthopaedic disease, and copper's precise role in its pathogenesis continues to generate debate within the equine industry. Van Weeren and colleagues investigated whether maternal and foal liver copper concentrations correlate with radiographic osteochondrotic lesions by measuring copper levels from liver biopsies taken within four days of birth and at five months, whilst monitoring hock and stifle radiographs at five and eleven months of age. Notably, newborn foals displayed substantially elevated copper levels (351 ± 201 mg/kg dry matter) that declined dramatically by five months to match mature mare values (20 ± 8 mg/kg); concurrent radiographic assessment revealed osteochondrotic lesions decreased in both prevalence and severity over the same period, particularly in the stifle. Whilst no direct correlation emerged between copper concentration and osteochondrosis development, foals with low neonatal copper status demonstrated significantly slower lesion repair and remodelling compared to those with adequate copper reserves—suggesting copper's influence operates through facilitation of natural healing rather than aetiopathogenic mechanisms. For practitioners, this implies that whilst copper deficiency shouldn't be overlooked during the critical neonatal and early growth phases, copper supplementation targeting osteochondrosis prevention may prove less effective than strategies addressing other developmental factors, though adequate status appears necessary for optimal lesion resolution.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Copper supplementation during pregnancy is unlikely to prevent osteochondrosis development in foals based on this evidence
- •Foals born with adequate or high copper status appear to have better natural healing capacity for early osteochondrotic lesions during the first year of life
- •Focus on other management factors beyond maternal copper status when addressing osteochondrosis risk in breeding programs
Key Findings
- •Newborn foal liver copper concentrations were high (351 ± 201 mg/kg DM) and declined to mature levels (20 ± 8 mg/kg DM) by 5 months of age
- •No relationship found between foal or mare liver copper concentration and osteochondrosis status at 5 or 11 months
- •Foals with low copper status at birth showed significantly less improvement in osteochondrotic lesion severity and number from 5 to 11 months compared to foals with high copper status at birth
- •Radiographic osteochondrotic lesions decreased in number and severity from 5 to 11 months, with greater improvement in stifles than hocks