Effects of Propylene Glycol or Fat Drench on Plasma Metabolites, Liver Composition, and Production of Dairy Cows During the Periparturient Period

Abstract

Forty-eight Holstein cows were used to determine the effects of short-term oral drenches of propylene glycol (PG) and Ca-soaps of palm oil fatty acids (fat) on plasma concentrations of key metabolites, liver composition, and milk production during the first 3 wk of lactation. Treatments (2 x 2 factorial arrangement) given orally once daily for the first 3 d postpartum were water (control), 500 ml of PG, 454 g of fat, or 500 ml of PG plus 454 g of fat. All treatments were administered as a total volume of 1.9 L. Administration of PG decreased concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) in plasma during the first 7 d and the first 21 d postpartum and tended to decrease concentrations of beta-hydroxybutyrate during the first 7 d postpartum. Concentrations of insulin in plasma were not affected by treatment. Administration of either PG or fat increased plasma glucose and liver glycogen concentrations compared to the control or PG plus fat treatments. Concentrations of triglycerides in liver were not affected by treatment. Administration of PG did not affect dry matter intake or milk yield and composition during the first 3 wk postpartum; however, cows drenched with fat tended to have lower dry matter intake and milk yield during the first 3 wk of lactation. Short-term drenching of PG effectively decreased NEFA concentrations in plasma during early lactation; however, data do not support administration of fat via drench to early lactation cows and concurrent administration of dietary fat appears to blunt the metabolic response of cows to PG.

Effects of feeding dry propylene glycol to early postpartum Holstein dairy cows on production and blood parameters

“…In earlier studies (Waldo and Schultz, 1960;Studer et al, 1993;Grummer et al, 1994;Christensen et al, 1997), when blood were serially sampled for at least 1.5 h after PG administration, blood glucose and insulin concentrations were increased by PG. In contrast, PG did not affect blood glucose and insulin in other earlier studies (Sauer et al, 1973;Pickett et al, 2003) and the current study in which blood was sampled only once daily. Therefore, frequent sampling immediately after PG administration is necessary to monitor the effects of PG on blood insulin and glucose concentrations.…”

Effect of various dietary fat supplementations on liver lipid and glycogen of high-yielding dairy cows in the peripartal period

“…These values are similar to those obtained in other studies (Gaál and Husvéth, 1983;Magdus et al, 1985) in the peripartal period in lactating cows and ewes. Contrary to the higher lipid content, the glycogen concentration showed lower levels (13.7-36.5 g/kg) in the peripartal period, which is also consistent with the results of other researchers (Pickett et al, 2003). The changes found in the hepatic lipid and glycogen contents reflect that the cows were in an energy-deficient condition.…”

Effects of feeding propylene glycol on dry matter intake, lactation performance, energy balance and blood metabolites in early lactation dairy cows

“…Burhans et al (1997) reported no effect of PG on plasma NEFA and BHBA concentrations prior to parturition, whereas after parturition, PG drenches resulted in significantly decreased concentrations of NEFA and BHBA in plasma. Butler et al (2006) reported the improved energy balance and milk lactose content of cows drenched daily with either 500 ml of water or PG from day 10 before parturition until day 25 postpartum, but this effect was not observed in other studies (Pickett et al, 2003;Moallem et al, 2007). Those inconsistencies may be due to differences in quantity, timeframe and method of delivery of PG.…”