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Effect of biotin supplementation on hoof health and ceramide composition in dairy cattle

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Abstract

The effect of biotin supplementation on various foot lesions and hoof ceramide composition of toe (wall) and sole portions of hooves was studied in crossbred dairy cattle. Biotin supplementation was done for five months in 14 cattle at a farm and the other 14 animals kept as control. A significant decline was observed in heel erosions and sole avulsions along with total disappearance of white line fissures and double soles in the biotin supplemented cattle resulting in decrease in the overall disease score. Thin layer chromatographs of the hoof lipids revealed 11 types of ceramides in sole lipids and 6 types of ceramides in toe (wall) lipids. The ceramides were typed and identified according to their Rf values. A qualitative increase in the density of thin layer chromatographs of sole lipids was observed in biotin supplemented cattle whereas a non-significant difference in density of thin layer chromatographs of toe lipids was observed after supplementation of biotin.

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Abbreviations

Rf:

relative front

TLC:

thin layer chromatography

Cm:

ceramide

WLD:

white line disease

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Acknowledgements

The facilities and help provided by the Head, Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ethics and Jurisprudence and other staff members are gratefully acknowledged. The authors duly acknowledge the help provided by the farmer on whose dairy farm the work has been conducted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ethics & Jurisprudence, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

    Swaran S. Randhawa, K. Dua, C. S. Randhawa & S. S. Randhawa

  2. Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

    S. K. Munshi

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  1. Swaran S. Randhawa
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  2. K. Dua
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  3. C. S. Randhawa
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  4. S. S. Randhawa
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  5. S. K. Munshi
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Correspondence to Swaran S. Randhawa.

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Randhawa, S.S., Dua, K., Randhawa, C.S. et al. Effect of biotin supplementation on hoof health and ceramide composition in dairy cattle. Vet Res Commun 32, 599–608 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-008-9060-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-008-9060-z

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