Trace Minerals & Vitamin Reference Intervals

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BOVINE – SERUM – GROWING CALVES + ADULTS	Units	Normal
Calcium (tCa) – ionized calcium available from clinical pathology	ppm	90-120
Magnesium^# (tMg) ionized Mg available from clinical pathology	ppm	18-30
Manganese^#	ppm	0.002-0.010
Manganese whole blood	ppm	0.07-0.2
Iron^#@	ppm	0.8-2.5
Cobalt^#	ppb	0.17-2
Copper^#%	ppm	0.6-1.1
Zinc^#@	ppm	0.8-1.9
Selenium^#	ppm	0.065-0.14
Selenium whole blood	ppm	0.12-0.3
Molybdenum	ppm	0.002-0.035
Lead whole blood	ppm	<0.01
Arsenic whole blood	ppb	<30
Vitamin A^#	ppm	0.30-0.80
Vitamin E	ppm	3-10
Vitamin D calcifediol (25-OH-D₃)	ppb	20-60 (up to 80) dependent on pregnancy/lactation

ppm = mg / L = mcg/mL = 1000 ppb │ ppb = mcg/L
Conversion from dry weight to wet weight: multiply dry weight concentration by 0.28 to get approximate wet weight concentration)
Age definitions: growing calves = >3-4 months of age; adults (including yearlings) = ≥1 year old
Sources: Puls, R. Mineral Levels in Animal Health: Diagnostic Data. 2nd Edition. 1994 │ Corbett 2023 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract │ Herdt and Hoff 2011 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract │ Buchweitz, Sheffler, and Puschner 2023 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract
Superscript legend: # = affected by hemolysis; @ = negative acute phase response; % = positive acute phase response

ppm = mg/L = mcg/mL = 1000 ppb │ ppb = mcg/L
Neonatal: <30 days of age
Sources: Puls, R. Mineral Levels in Animal Health: Diagnostic Data. 2nd Edition. 1994 │ Corbett 2023 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract │ Herdt and Hoff 2011 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract │ Buchweitz, Sheffler, and Puschner 2023 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract
Superscript legend: # = affected by hemolysis; % = positive acute phase response (ceruloplasmin); @ = negative acute phase response (transferrin, albumin)

BOVINE – LIVER – WET WEIGHT –GROWING CALVES + ADULT	Units	Normal
Calcium	ppm	30-200
Phosphorus	ppm	2000-4500
Chromium	ppm	0.04-3.8
Potassium	ppm	1400-4000
Magnesium	ppm	100-250
Manganese^$	ppm	2-6
Iron^%$	ppm	45-300
Cobalt	ppb	20-200
Copper^$	ppm	25-100
Zinc^%$	ppm	25-100
Selenium^$	ppm	0.25-0.50
Molybdenum	ppm	0.1-1.4
Lead^$	ppm	<0.1
Arsenic^$	ppm	<0.1
Vitamin A	ppm	85-200
Vitamin E	ppm	4-8.5

Conversion from dry weight to wet weight: multiply dry weight concentration by 0.28 to get approximate wet weight concentration)
Age definitions: growing calves = >3-4 months of age; adults (including yearlings) = ≥1 year old
Sources: Puls, R. Mineral Levels in Animal Health: Diagnostic Data. 2nd Edition. 1994 │ Corbett 2023 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract │ Herdt and Hoff 2011 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract │ Buchweitz, Sheffler, and Puschner 2023 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract
Superscript legend: % = positive acute phase response; $ = ideal sample for assessment (caveat: zinc has no well-defined easily sampled storage pool)

BOVINE – LIVER – WET WEIGHT – FETAL/NEONATAL	Units	Normal
Calcium	ppm	30-200
Phosphorus	ppm	2000-4500
Chromium	ppm	0.04-3.8
Potassium	ppm	1400-4000
Magnesium	ppm	100-250
Manganese lower than maternal	ppm	0.9-4.5
Iron higher than maternal	ppm	55-550
Cobalt	ppb	10-100
Copper higher than maternal	ppm	65-150
Zinc higher than maternal	ppm	35-125
Selenium higher than maternal	ppm	0.35-1.3
Molybdenum	ppm	0.1-1.4
Vitamin A	ppm	Minimal placental transfer during gestation; highly dependent on colostrum intake and age
Vitamin E	ppm

Sources: Puls, R. Mineral Levels in Animal Health: Diagnostic Data. 2nd Edition. 1994 │ Corbett 2023 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract │ Herdt and Hoff 2011 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract │ Buchweitz, Sheffler, and Puschner 2023 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract

OVINE – SERUM – ADULT + GROWING LAMBS	Units	Normal
Magnesium^# tMg	ppm	22-28
Manganese^#	ppm	0.001-0.006
Manganese whole blood	ppm	0.02-0.025
Iron^#@	ppm	0.9-2.7
Cobalt^#	ppb	0.18-2.0
Copper^#%	ppm	0.75-1.7
Zinc^#@	ppm	0.55-1.2
Selenium^#	ppm	0.06-0.20
Selenium whole blood	ppm	0.12-0.35
Molybdenum	ppm	0.001-0.050
Vitamin A^#	ppm	0.3-0.6
Vitamin E	ppm	1.5-3.0

ppm = mg/L / = mcg/mL = 1000 ppb │ ppb = mcg/L
Sources: Puls, R. Mineral Levels in Animal Health: Diagnostic Data. 2nd Edition. 1994 │ Corbett 2023 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract │ Herdt and Hoff 2011 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract │ Buchweitz, Sheffler, and Puschner 2023 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract │ Van Saun 2023 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract
Superscript legend: # = affected by hemolysis; % = positive acute phase response; @ = negative acute phase response
Plasma Cu >1.35 mg/L indicates poisoning

OVINE – LIVER – WET WEIGHT	Units	Normal	Fetal/neonatal normal (where available)
Magnesium	ppm	118-200	?
Manganese	ppm	1.2-5.9	1-2
Iron	ppm	70-300	400-600
Cobalt	ppb	20-120	?
Copper	ppm	25-100	16-54
Zinc	ppm	22-85	40-80
Selenium	ppm	0.25-1.5	0.25-1.5
Molybdenum	ppm	0.08-1.3	?
Vitamin A	ppm	140-280	Dependent on age and colostrum intake
Vitamin E	ppm	3-50	Dependent on age and colostrum intake

Sources: Puls, R. Mineral Levels in Animal Health: Diagnostic Data. 2nd Edition. 1994 │ Corbett 2023 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract │ Herdt and Hoff 2011 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract │ Buchweitz, Sheffler, and Puschner 2023 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract │ Van Saun 2023 Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract

ppm = mg/L = mcg/mL = 1000 ppb │ ppb = mcg/L
Source: Puls, R. Mineral Levels in Animal Health: Diagnostic Data. 2nd Edition. 1994
Superscript legend: # = affected by hemolysis; % = positive acute phase response; @ = negative acute phase response

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