Abstract
During the last decade, a calcium (Ca) deficiency syndrome, nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism (NSH), has caused lameness and bone lesions in horses grazing certain tropical grasses in Australia. These grasses contain over 0·5% total oxalate (Walthall & McKenzie, 1976; Blaney, Gartner & McKenzie, 1981a). Blaney et al. (1981a) and McKenzie, Blaney & Gartner (1981) carried out mineral balance experiments with horses fed tropical grass hays or diets with added soluble potassium oxalate. Their results suggested that NSH was caused by the oxalate in the grasses preventing the absorption of Ca. They also suggested that the Ca in the grasses may already be in the form of the insoluble calcium oxalate (Ca(COO)2) salt and thus unavailable to grazing horses. Blaney, Gartner & McKenzie (1981b) subsequently demonstrated that horses could not absorb significant amounts of Ca from Ca(COO)2 crystals added to their diet.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
