Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ANIMAL FEED SUPPLEMENT
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an AnimAl feed supplement
and, more particularly, relates to an animal feed
supplement for a monogastric ~n;m~l for maintaining or
enhancing the energy balance of such an ~n;~-l. That is,
the invention allows the ~nimAl when it is under heightened
energy d~An~s to obtain a flow of metabolic fuels which
enables it to maintain a sufficient supply of energy or
additionally to enhance a supply of energy, to better meet
physiological d~mAn~, and to partition that energy for use
in bodily processes so that the ~nim~l is disposed to meet
optimal performance criteria.
Bach~ uuud of the Invention
Conventional ~Ani~l feed for monogastric ~nim~l S with
noncompartmentalized or single stomachs, such as swine,
often fail to provide sufficient energy for the Animal
during periods of stress or high ~em~n~. For sows, this
deficiency has been observed in the latter stages of
pregnancy or during lactation. If the ~nl~l 'S dietary
energy requirements are not met, an energy deficiency or an
energy imbalance, or both, will result. Under such
circumstances, the An;mAl may exhibit a depressed appetite
and other physiological problems, such as insufficient milk
production during lactation and a delay of estrus upon
weaning.
f
In late gestation, low nutrient intake can impact
piglet survival in the first few days after birth. Methods
to improve the energy status of the piglet at birth have
been related to improving nutrient intake of the sow in
late gestation. However, as observed by Weldon et al. (J.
,~nimal Science 72 (1994) p.387), high nutrient intake in
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late gestation may reduce energy intake during lactation.
Weldon et al. indicated that excessive feed intake during
gestation caused the sow to become insensitive to insulin,
thereby limiting the sow's appetite. Seerley et al. (J.
~nlm~l Science 46 (1974) p.1009) and Bishop et al. (J.
~nlm~l Science 49, supplement 1 (1979) p.104) noted that
fat added to the diet of the sow during late gestation
increases the carcass fat content of the newborn pig,
decreases the mortality rate of neonatal pigs, and thus,
increases litter size at weaning. ~nhAnced maternal energy
substrates may be beneficial for fetal energy deposition
and improved piglet survival.
During the initial phase of lactation, a sow often has
a poor appetite, but the appetite improves during the
nursing period. The limited feed intake at the beginning
of lactation results in body weight loss, lower milk
production and reduced weight gain of the nursing litter.
In the lactating sow, body fat (in the form of non-
esterified fatty acids) and muscle mass are rapidly
mobilized to meet the nutrient ~em~n~s of milk production.
It is this loss which impairs reproductive performance as
evident in the increased interval from weaning to
rebreeding or remating. This body weight loss and
consequent energy lag of the sow during early lactation
places the survival of the nursing litter at risk and
impairs the reproductive capacity of the sow once the
litter is weaned.
Koketsu et al. in J. ~nimAl Sci. 74 (1996) pp. 2875-
2884 analyzed the records from 20,296 lactating sows on
thirty commercial farms and noted that low feed intake or
a drop in intake in the first week of lactation resulted in
longer weaning to breeding and conception intervals. Sows
which had a major drop in feed intake had a lower litter
weight. Sows were more likely to be removed from the herd
if intake dropped due to their ultimate poor reproduction
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re~;ness.
Zak et al. found that varying the feed intake of sows
during lactation affects the fertility of the sows after
weaning (J. Anim. Sci., 75 (1977) pp. 208-216). Sows fed
less at the first part of lactation and sows fed less in
the last week of a four week lactation lost more body
weight than sows fed to appetite, had an increased weaning
to estrus interval and a reduced ovulation rate. Thus, Zak
et al. concluded that the differences found in postweaning
reproduction were due to the extent and timing of weight
loss which results in varying the energy balance in the
sows .
In efforts to increase energy intake, fats have been
added to feed given to sows in late gestation as well as
during lactation resulting in some implo~"~ent in
reproductive performances as evidenced by increased
survival of the young, particularly in litters with
low-birth weight pigs. The metabolic mechanism and
reproducibility of this inc~ease is unclear (Ruwe et al.,
J. ~nim~l Sci. 69 (1991) p.1935). A neonate pig could
deplete its body stores of carbohydrates as a supply of
energy under nutritional energy stress conditions.
However, to prevent this, the addition of fat to the diet
of the sow appears to increase the level of fat in the
sow's milk and colostrum. The neonate and nursing pig
feeds on this milk which increases its fat stores. Stahly
et al. showed that the addition of fat to the food of sows
in late gestation did not improve pig survival at birth but
the feeding of fat to the sows in lactation improved pig
survival and weight at weaning. ~n~m~l Sci. 63 (1986) p.
1156.
In a review discussing the voluntary food intake of
sows and gilts, Lynch (Occ. Publ. Br. Soc. Anim. Prod.
(1989) No. 13) noted that sows tend to eat less with high
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energy diets including fat compared to lower energy diets
without fat, resulting in an increased energy intake
despite the lower total feed intake differential. The
response to high fat diets appears to some extent to depend
on the environmental temperature. The addition of fat to
the ~nlm~l ' S diet in hot conditions has an effect because
fat has a lower heat increment and produces less body heat,
thereby reducing the nutritional energy stress from high
temperatures and allowing the ~n;m~l to eat more.
Due to the lack of a consistent response with fat
additions to the diet, it is necessary to consider other
aspects of metabolism to produce a satisfactory ~n~m~l feed
supplement. In the pig as well as many other species,
complex carbohydrates other than starch have long been an
important source of energy. These complex carbohydrates
are digested via hindgut macrobial fermentation to produce
acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid. This
digestion process is more important in the adult sow
compared to the young pig due to the greater development of
the hindgut fermentation capacity. Up to 25~ of the energy
requirements of the adult sow can be provided from this
fermentation. However, fermentation also results in an
energy loss to the ~nlm~l through the generation of carbon
dioxide and from the poor utilization of acetate. In
particular, acetic acid and butyric acid are oxidized
directly to carbon dioxide during fermentation. The heat
of fermentation can also raise the pig~s body temperature
which in hot environments causes a loss of appetite.
~ Propionate and other glucose precursors or
gluconeogenic compounds have been used as sources of energy
for milk production in rllm;n~nts, often as a treatment for
ketosis which is a disease in dairy cows characterized by
reduced milk production and weight loss. Propionate and
glucose, however, are insulin secretagogues. Higher
insulin levels tends to decrease the uptake efficiency of
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certain glucose precursors such as lactate, alanine,
glutamine and glycerol. However, propionate uptake appears
not to be inhibited by insulin, so in the presence of
propionate, insulin levels favor the conversion of
propionate to glucose while other gluconeogenic compounds
such as lactate are spared for other uses.
These glucose precursors have not been widely used in
the diet of monogastric ~n;mAls. In fact, Dorman et al.
(~AVMA Vol. 198, No. 9 (1991) p. 1643) disclose that
propylene glycol, in large quantities can be toxic in
horses. Dorman et al. disclose that the accidental feeding
of propylene glycol in a quantity of 3.8L (7.6 mg/kg of
body weight) to a horse lead to the death of the horse 28
hours after propylene glycol ingestion.
Ferré, P., et al. disclose that orally feeding fat and
injecting gluconeogenic substrates to starved, neonatal
rats reverses hypoglycaemia (Am. J. Physiol. 234(2):
E129-136). The use of injection makes such a treatment
onerous for treating larger ~n;m~l S and large numbers of
such animals. Unlike sows, star~ed neonatal rats do not
have energy stores to mobilize, thus, the complications
with treating sows and other monogastric ~n;m~l S are not
evident.
United Kingdom patent application no. 2,102,268 by
Nakajima et al. discloses an ~n;m~l feedstuff in soft
granular form which contains 1~ to 10~ by weight of
propylene glycol, 2~ to 30~ by weight of fatty components
consisting of fat and/or oil and 2~ to 25~ by weight of
moisture. This composition results in a soft granular
~n;m~l feedstuff in which the granules do not tend to
collapse readily into powder. Propylene glycol is added to
the feedstuff to promote the ca~ing efficiency of the
feedstuff.
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United States patent no. 5,182,126 to Vinci et al.
discloses a rl~m;n~nt feed supplement which contains a Cl4 -
C22 fatty acid alkaline earth metal salt and a propionate
glucogenous ingredient. This compound is a rumen bypass
5 ~ni~l feed supplement to ensure that the components of the
compound are metabolized in the abomasum or small intestine
and are not metabolized in the rumen. In the case of
monogastric ~nimAls~ the components of the feed supplements
are selected specifically for absorption in the ~n;m~l ' S
digestive tract and there is no need for the bypass
features of such rllm;n~nt compositions.
It is desirable to provide an animal feed supplement
for a monogastric animal for maintA; ni ng or enhancing the
energy balance in the ~n;m~l. This feed supplement
provides an approach to addressing the energy needs of the
~n;m~l which positively affects the health of the ~nim~l.
In particular, in the case of sows, the desired energy
requirements during gestation and lactation are addressed
by the invention.
Summary of t~e Invention
It has been found that an unexpected improvement in
maintenance of the energy balance in a monogastric ~nim~l
such as swine occurs when the diet of the animal includes
a feed supplement comprising a gluconeogenic compound and
a long chain fatty acid. For female ~n;m~l S the addition
of this feed supplement results in an impL~el~,ent in the
reproductive performance during the latter stages of
pregnancy, during lactation and subsequent reproductive
performance. The addition of the supplement to the diet of
3~ the an-m~l maintains or enhances its energy balance during
lactation. The feed supplement of the invention may be
adapted for monogastric ~nim~l S such as swine, horses,
rabbits, mink, chinchillas, dogs, rodents, fowl and
prernmin~nts such as calves and lambs.
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In its broad aspect, the feed supplement for a
monogastric animal comprises an effective amount of a
gluconeogenic compound and an effective amount of a Cl4 -
C22 fatty acid. The term "effective" as used herein means
any amount that is effective for maintaining or enhancing
the energy balance in the ~n;mAl.
In another aspect of the invention, the feed
supplement for a monogastric ~n;m~l comprises from about
10% to 30~ by weight of a gluconeogenic compound. The
gluconeogenic compound is selected from the group
consisting of propionic acid, propionic acid esters,
propionic acid salts, propyl esters, propyl alcohol,
alanine, asparate, glutamate, serine, lactose, lactate,
glycerol, pyruvate, glutamine and mixtures thereof. The
feed supplement also comprises from about 0% to 5% by
weight of propylene glycol, from about 20~ to 60% by weight
of a Cl4 - C22 fatty acid, with the balance of the supplement
being fillers and other such essentially inert substances
or food based carriers.
In another aspect of the invention, the feed
supplement for a monogastric ~n;m~l comprises about 10% by
weight sodium propionate, about 5% by weight propylene
glycol, about 40% by weight choice white grease, and about
45% by weight of a compound selected from the group
consisting of dairy by-product, inert mineral, fibre, grain
products, flavour enhancer and mixtures thereof.
In another aspect of the invention, the feed
supplement for maintaining or enhancing the energy balance
of a monogastric ~n;m~l is ~mln;stered in a daily dosage
amount of about 0.05-0.5% of the body weight of the animal.
In another aspect of the invention, the feed
supplement for maintaining or enhancing the energy balance
of a monogastric ~imAl is ~m; n; stered in a daily dosage
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amount of about 10~ by weight of the dry matter content of
the ~n;m~l ' s feed.
In another aspect of the invention, the feed
supplement is ~ml n; stered to a monogastric female animal
in a daily dosage amount from within 5 to 15 days prior to
the scheduled parturition date of the ~ntm~l and continuing
to feed said daily dosage from within 5 to 28 days
postpartum.
The composition and use of the composition of the
invention provide a number of advantages including the
following:
1. Dietary gluconeogenic compounds and sources of long
chain fatty acids are com~ined to facilitate metabolic
processes at times when energy ~em~n~s are high and when
animals are under stress.
2. Nutrient intake and/or energy available for metabolic
processes is enhanced by the addition of the feed
supplement of the invention which may be used with
traditional feed rather than having to remix an entire
feed.
3. Reproductive efficiency is enhanced by nutrient intake
and/or energy available for metabolic processes resulting
in improving owlatory processes and reduced time for
conception.
4. The feeding of the composition of the invention to a
monogastric 2n~m~l improves the energy status providing
substrates for gluconeogenesis.
5. An ~nlm~l fed the composition of the invention
produces healthier offspring.
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6. The nutrient and feed intake immediately postpartum is
increased which enhances the overall nutrient intake and/or
energy available for the metabolic processes of the ~nim~l .
Detailed DeQcriDtion of the Preferred Embodime~t
The feed supplement of the invention is added to the
normal feed for a monogastric ~nlm~l. The feed supplement
includes a gluconeogenic compound as well as a long ~h~lned
fatty acid which provides nutrients to a monogastric
~nlm~l. In a female ~nlm~l, the feed supplement allows for
the treatment and/or prevention of lost appetite
postpartum, for the production of healthier offspring,
improved conception and subsequent reproductive performance
and for the maintenance or enhancement of the energy
balance of the ~nlm~l.
Examples of suitable gluconeogenic compounds are
propionic acid, propionic acid ester, propionic acid salt,
propyl ester, propyl alcohol, alanine, aspartate,
glutamate, serine or any protein or any other source of
amino acids pertinent in energy metabolism, lactose,
lactate, glycerol, pyruvate, glutamine and other
gluconeogenic compounds which are well known in the art,
and propylene glycol.
Examples of suitable fatty acids are beef and mutton
tallow, lard, choice white grease, cotton seed oil, palm
seed oil, in addition to other naturally occurring fatty
acid oils or oils from genetically altered sources which
are well known in the art, and mixtures thereof, including
triglycerides of any of these fatty acids.
The fatty acids used according to the present
invention are s~raight or branched, unsaturated,
unsubstituted or substituted aliphatic mono-carboxylic
acids having 14 or more carbon atoms in the molecule
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(herein referred to generally by the term "fatty acid"), or
mixtures of these acids. The upper limit on the number of
carbons is not critical; however, straight chAln~
containing 14 to 22 carbon atoms are preferred. Branched
chain fatty acids and acids containing up to 30 or more
carbon units can also be used according to the present
invention.
It has been found that the simultaneous addition to
the diet of gluconeogenic compounds and Cl4 - C22 fatty acids
enables female monogastric ~nlm~l S such as sows to recover
their appetites relati~ely quickly postpartum. The use of
such a supplement shows increased dry matter intake,
decreased litter mortality, shorter weaning to conception
interval and increased subsequent litter size.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the feed
supplement for a monogastric An;m~l comprises from about
10~ to 30~ by weight of a gluconeogenic compound. The
gluconeogenic compound is selected from the group
consisting of propionic acid, propionic acid esters,
propionic acid salts, propyl ester, propyl alcohol,
alanine, aspartate, glutamate, serine, lactose, lactate,
glycerol, pyruvate, glutamine and mixtures thereof. The
feed supplement also comprises from about 0~ to 5~ by
weight of propylene glycol, from about 20~ to 60~ by weight
of a C14 - C22 fatty acid with the balance of the supplement
being fillers and other essentially inert substances or
food based carriers.
The balance of the feed supplement may be alfalfa,
legume hay, grass hay, corn grain, forages, oats, barley,
distiller's grain, brewer's grain, soya bean meal, corn
seed meal, mineral sources such as calcium carbonate and
silicon dioxide, soy hulls and corn cob meal, anti-caking
agents and mixtures thereof. A flavour enhancer such as
anise and others known in the art may also be added.
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In one embodiment of the present invention, the feed
supplement comprises about 10~ by weight sodium propionate,
about 5~ by weight propylene glycol ~the gluconeogenic
compounds), about 40~ by weight choice white grease (the
fatty acid source), and about 45~ by weight of a
~ combination of dairy by-product, inert mineral, fibre
material, grain products, as noted above, and flavour
enhancers.
Sows consume about 4 pounds to 16 pounds of feed per
day. The supplement totals a daily dosage amount equal to
2~ to 20~ by weight to the dry matter content of the
Anim~l~s feed, and preferably, a daily dosage amount equal
to 10% by weight of the dry matter content of the ~n;mAl's
feed.
15For a pregnant AnimAl, the preferred method for
feeding the supplement of the invention comprises orally
feeding the Anim~l the composition in a daily dosage amount
from within 5-15 days prior to the scheduled parturition
date of the An;~l and continuing to feed said daily dosage
from within 5 to 28 days postpartum. The composition is
fed to the animal as a supplement to the Anl~Al ls feed.
The daily dosage is preferably 0.05-0.5% of the body weight
of the ~nim~l depending on the metabolic needs of the
AnimAl. For the sow this dosage is about 45 to 681g (0.1
to 1.5 lb.). The daily dosage can be varied throughout the
~m; n; stration period, as needed. The monogastric An;m~l
may be swine, equine, rabbits, mink, rhinch;llas~ dogs,
rodents, fowl and prer~m;n~nts such as calves and lambs.
The following examples are included to further
illustrate the invention herein described and claimed. The
examples are not intended as limitations of the present
invention. The examples show that sows fed the test
product ate more, had decreased litter mortality, had a
shorter weaning to conception interval and had increased
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subsequent litter size. In particular, the examples show
that the sows had an increased feed intake during the first
week postpartum.
Examples
The composition of the inve~tion tested comprised 10
by weight sodium propionate, 5~ by weight propylene glycol,
40~ by weight choice white grease, and 45~ by weight of a
combination of dairy by-product, inert mineral, fibre
material, grain products and flavour enhancers (the "test
product"). The control was 40~ by weight choice white
grease and 60~ by weight filler which was dairy by-products
and grain products. The test product and the control were
fed beginning day 102 of gestation which was approximately
11 days prior to parturition at a rate ranging from 227 to
568 grams/head/day and this was continued for 21 days
postpartum. Ten sows were fed the test product and ten
sows were fed the control. Each group of sows included an
equal number of either primiparous or multiparous (average
prior litters: 3.4) sows.
The feed intake of the sows and the piglets after the
first parity and after the second parity were observed.
Table 1 lists the total feed intake per sow in early
lactation for day 1 and 2 and for the first week
postpartum.
Table 1
Kg In~ake 1st Pari y 2nd Pariry Average Al_ Sow8
Day l and 2 Week Day 1 and 2 Week Day 1 and 2 Week
control 6.7 33.8 8.2 41.5 7.4 37.6
test 7.6 36.8 10.2 47.6 8.9 42.2
product
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A s~udy of average daily feed intake for the sows for
the twenty-one day lactation period is shown in Table 2.
Table 2
Kg/day 1st Parity Multiparity All sows
control 5.26 6.81 6.04
test product 5.51 7.58 6.55
Table 3 shows the per cent mortality and the weights
and gains of the piglets at 21 days of age. The average
data from all sows fed the control and sows fed the test
product is also shown.
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W097/33488 - 14 - PCT/US97/03805
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Table 4 shows the weaning to estrus interval, the
number of sows with delayed estrus and reproductive
failure. The number of sows which had a weaning to estrus
interval of less than eight days is shown and those which
had a weaning to estrus interval greater than eight days is
shown. The average weaning to estrus interval for the
first and second parities is shown as WEI and the number
of fetus aborted naturally is shown.
Table 4
No. c 8 Day~ No. > 8 day~ WEI Abort
1st Multiparity 1st Multiparity 1 ~ 2 Week
Parity Parity
0 control 3 4 2 1 9.0 2
test 4 4 0 0 5.1 0
product
Table 5 shows the subsequent litter size of the sows
fed the control and the sows fed the test product. The
column entitled "Changen refers to the increase or decrease
of litter size as compared to the previous litter of the
sows. Sows fed the control had almost the same litter size
as the prior litter (-0.14) while sows fed the test product
increased the number of pigs born alive by 0.77 compared to
the prior litter.
Table 5
Born Alive Change# Sows having 2 or more
Fewer Pigs Compared to
Last Parity
control 10.1 -0.14 4
test product 11.1 0.77
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In summary, the composition of the invention increases
the nutrient and feed intake of the sow which leads to a
decreased mortality rate in piglets. In particular,
nutrient intake during the first week postpartum was
increased.
It will be understood that modifications can be made
in the embodiments of the invention herein without
departing from the scope and purview of the invention as
described in the appended claims.
