Production‐related metabolic disorders of cattle: ketosis, milk fever and grass staggers

Abstract

Metabolic diseases usually occur when the production’s peak is beyond the capacity of the animal’s reserves to sustain a particular metabolic demand (eg, energy, calcium, magnesium, etc) at physiologic concentrations. Diseases like ketosis, milk fever or grass staggers usually occur after calving, when the demands for milk production overwhelm the physiological regulatory mechanisms. Despite the availability of treatment strategies for these disorders in the field, the evidence supporting their use is scarce in some cases, and the debate regarding the optimal treatment strategies for recovery continues. This article reviews and compares the current available knowledge on various treatment strategies for ketosis, hypocalcaemia (milk fever), and hypomagnesaemia (grass staggers) in periparturient cattle. The practical applications of the research studies are emphasised to provide current evidence-based treatment protocols for practising veterinarians.

Aspects of transition cow metabolomics—Part I: Effects of a metaphylactic butaphosphan and cyanocobalamin treatment on the metabolome in liver, blood, and urine in cows with different liver metabotypes

“…Many studies have been published on different compounds to positively influence the energy metabolism and the nutritional status of the transition dairy cow, and several of the investigated products and metaphylactic treatment protocols have found their way into practical application (e.g., glycogenic precursors such as propylene glycol, ionophores, rumen-protected methionine and choline, CLA; Grummer, 2008;Mann et al, 2019;Manning, 2019). A compound mixture with a long worldwide history in practical application in this context is the injectable combination of butaphosphan and cyanocobalamin (BCC, vitamin B 12 ), commercially available as Catosal (Bayer Animal Health GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany; Kreipe et al, 2011).…”

Predicting Disease in Transition Dairy Cattle Based on Behaviors Measured Before Calving

“…The percentage of cows affected by ketosis or subclinical ketosis (SCK) ranges from 11% to 49% during the first two months of lactation [ 5 , 6 ]. The onset of ketosis is associated with a number of factors, including rapid fetal growth in late pregnancy, high milk yield in early lactation, and increasing energy demand [ 7 ]. If feed intake is insufficient to meet demand, cows will mobilize body fat, increasing the risk of ketosis [ 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”

Metabolic disease testing on farms: epidemiological principles

“…When this alarm level is exceeded in a cohort of cows, an investigation into the possible causes should be initiated. This usually starts by observing the animals in their environment (eg, stocking density and body condition score), nutritive testing (eg, chemical/particle size analysis), feed bunk management (eg, consistency in delivery, push-up and access to feed), and learning about planned and unplanned changes in management that might have occurred (Van Saun and Sniffen 2014, Mann and others 2019).…”