So, in order to balance my hay which has a high phophorus level...I have to feed additional TUMS, 1,000 mg, 9 TUMS per day. However, the elemental amount of calcium in tums is 400 mg....When I looked up what elemental meant- it means what is bioavailable to the horse/human- So, why do I have to feed 1,000 mg just to get 400 absorbed? I don't get the chemistry on that one. If I fed 500 mg wouldn't there still be 400 mg available to be absorbed? Overthinking (sorry) and curious how it works. :)
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Trisha DePietro
Aug 2018
NH
Primary Responder
Dolly and Hope's Case Histories
Dolly's Photos 
Hope's Photos 
HOW TO SEARCH THE ARCHIVES: https://ecir.groups.io/g/main/wiki/1993     

Hi trisha

Thanks for making me go review this again. To everyone following along, I balance for Trisha.

The Ultra was recommended b/c they have the highest level of calcium. I misspoke -- actually did not remember -- the elemental amount was not 1000 but was 400 mg. Regardless, after we explored other traditional areas for calcium that Hope and Dolly did not accept, the Tums would help get them closer to where they needed to go.

The balance of the 1000 mg in Tums ultra is the "Carbonate" portion of calcium carbonate.  The calcium in your custom mineral mix is also calcium carbonate. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Calcium-carbonate

I apologize for confusion and hope this helps. Happy to hear other suggestions, as I know you are.
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Nancy C in NH
ECIR Moderator 2003
ECIR Group Inc. President 2022-2023

ECIR Group NEW Case History site open to Early Adopters.

HOW TO SEARCH THE ARCHIVES: https://ecir.groups.io/g/main/wiki/1993

Nancy has already answered your question, but let me elaborate as this is one of the more challenging concepts when it comes to supplementing mineral compounds.

I like to think of the compounds as "Products," for example Poly Zinc 22%, Magnesium Oxide 54 - 60%, Calcium Carbonate 38%. All of these are mineral compounds with an elemental mineral(s) at the core. When we suggest that a horse needs 5 grams of magnesium, we're referring to the dose, or the amount of elemental mineral (magnesium) required. However, these compounds are not 100% elemental mineral. The percentage tells you what amount of elemental mineral the compound will yield per 1 gram (weight) of the product. Let's take your Tums for an example:

1000 mg (1 gram) tablet yields 400 mg (0.4 grams) of elemental calcium. Therefore, 1 Ultra Strength TUMS is 40% calcium.
There are 220 mgs of elemental zinc in 1 gram (weight) of the product, Poly zinc 22%
Magnesium oxide can range from 540 mg to 600 mg per 1 gram weight of product
Then there are compounds that can add more than one mineral, like monosodium phosphate 26% that supplies both phosphorus and sodium. 

Bottom line, everything we use is a compound with a percentage of elemental mineral or minerals.

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Kathleen (KFG in KCMO)

Director and Research Advisor, ECIR Group Inc.

Missouri, USA, 2005

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=3-I7UI0AAAAJ 

 

I wish I had a calcium deficiency instead of phosphorus!

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Bobbie and Maggie 
Desi (over the rainbow bridge 7/21) 
Utah, Nov 2018
ECIR Group Primary Response 
Horsekeeping Moderator

https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Bobbie%20and%20Maggie
https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=271156

https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/files/Bobbie%20and%20Desi 
https://ecir.groups.io/g/CaseHistory/album?id=78821

Hi Kathleen, Thanks for the extra info...now its making sense...I didn't understand the percentages to the weight of the product....now I'm getting it...sorry, a little slow on the uptake about minerals and such.. I've always put this part of the puzzle on hold, as there is so much to learn in general  about PPID and IR and I have Nancy who is the balancer extraordinaire to help with that piece and I simply order the minerals already mixed and ensure they get into the horse!!! 
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Trisha DePietro
Aug 2018
NH
Primary Responder
Dolly and Hope's Case Histories
Dolly's Photos 
Hope's Photos 
HOW TO SEARCH THE ARCHIVES: https://ecir.groups.io/g/main/wiki/1993     

Trisha, it’s very similar to the difference between compounded pergolide and Prascend.  They are all “salts” and it makes a difference whether you are calculating using the weight of the effective part of the salt or the entire salt compound.
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Trisha
It is a VERY time consuming process that’s for sure. I always struggle on how to vocalize this process to new members asking how much of  xyz of this or that mineral does my horse need.
Theres a very good article that a member wrote in one of the folders that helped me immensely. I’m like that too, I’m analytical and it has to make sense !