Fix Calm by Fixine

FixCalm is a magnesium proteinate and thiamine (Vit B1) supplement for animals.

Benefits of FixCalm
Thiamine is essential for neural cell metabolism and neurotransmitter production. It is implicated in controlling inflammation and in antioxidation and assists in wound healing and promoting calm behaviour.

Magnesium is involved in various essential processes including nerve function, as an enzyme activator in blood and muscle contraction. Magnesium is often described as the ‘chill mineral’ as it prevents the stress hormone cortisol from affecting the brain. It can support muscle function and improve recovery rates after hard work.

 

Text to support use of chelated magnesium for Agrifert NZ

October 2021

Prepared by LWT Animal Nutrition

 

Minerals are essential for the health, growth and welfare of horses. Magnesium (Mg) is involved in various essential processes, including bone formation (in combination with calcium and phosphorus), nerve function, as enzyme activators, in blood and to allow muscle contraction. It is sometimes described as the ‘chill mineral’ as it prevents the stress hormone cortisol from affecting the brain. It can support muscle function and improve recovery rates after hard work. A typical horse stores 60% of its magnesium in the skeleton and 30% in muscle.

A 500 kg horse (typically a 15.2 h thoroughbred) requires 7.5 g of Mg per day at rest, and up to 15 g per day when in hard work. Deficiencies are typically manifested as nervous behaviour, muscle tremors, and even collapse and death. However, horses are better at conserving Mg reserves better than ruminants, by reducing excretion via the kidneys. Pregnant mares, foals and young horses have a higher requirement for magnesium than adult horses.

Mg absorption from the diet depends on its form, and, for inorganic forms, there is competition for uptake from the gut with other minerals carrying the same valency (electrical charge). For example, where the horse may be consuming high levels of inorganic copper from ‘blue blocks’ in water troughs, this can limit the amount of other inorganic minerals absorbed due to direct competition for passive transfer across the gut wall. Sulphate forms cause a ‘soporific’ (drowsy) effect in mammals, which can mask underlying pain issues, and, hence, pose a welfare risk. Natural sources of minerals, typically bound to peptides, are taken up in a different manner from the gut, in the same way as small protein units. Research has shown these to be preferentially absorbed from the gut and stored in tissues, for release during times of higher need. As a result, they are needed in smaller amounts compared to inorganic forms.

 

Thiamin for horses

Prepared by LWT Animal Nutrition for Agrifert NZ Ltd

December 2021

 

Thiamin (vitamin B1) is essential for neural cell metabolism and neurotransmitter production, myelin synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism in cells, via the dehydrogenase enzymes, to synthesise ATP. It is implicated in controlling inflammation and in antioxidation, and assists in wound healing and promoting calm behaviour. Deficiency symptoms include loss of appetite and corresponding weight loss or poor growth rate in youngstock. The horse may show anxious behaviour and lack of energy. Deficiencies observed in Australian horses fed root crops (fodder beet) and no cereals or hay in the 1950s showed encephalomyelopathy that was linked to thiamine, but may also have been due to lack of protein (Gratzl, 1960). There is currently no evidence of problems relating to overdosing thaimin or toxicity. There are some suggestions in the literature that the link with encephalitis and behaviour problems due to thiamin deficiency may be due to poor myelin (the insulations around nerves) development in young horses kept in a deficient state (El-Hage et al., 2019), but this has yet to be substantiated in research. Indeed, rather taurine (10 g orally per day; Domange et al., 2010) and L-tryptophan (Armengiu et al., 2010) has been reported to have success in relation to neurological and behaviour in horses. Work into link s between thiamine deficiency and pasture-induced stringhalt has been conducted – but with no benefits reported with extra supplementation. Thiamin and antibiotics are commonly used to treat lead poisoning and other toxin ingestion (e.g., bracken staggers) in horses. It has been put forward that although thiamine supplementation can assist in various neurological disorders, its deficiency is not the cause.

The current global recommendations (NRC, 2007) for thaimin in feed is 5 mg/kg for horses in work and 3 mg/kg for others, based on a 500 kg horse (22.5 or 45 mg per day, based on 1.5% BW intake per day). Higher levels may be used as it is not currently considered toxic and is well regulated in the body.

Thiamin is found in cereal grains, at levels ranging from 3.5 – 6 mg/kg, and is concentrated in the bran layer (at levels ranging from 12-23 mg/kg). Rice bran contains the highest levels. Protein by-products, such as cottonseed and peanut meal, contain 6 and 12 mg/kg, respectively – although the highest levels are in yeast, especially brewer’s yeast by-product, which contains around 95 mg/kg. It has long been known that thiamine is produced by microbiota in the hind gut (Carroll et al., 1949), but diets need to contain suitable amounts of fibre to facilitate this production. Natural sources may be preferable to purified sources, on the basis of cost, however, care should be taken to ensure the levels in each batch are consistent.