Post by milkmaid on Aug 7, 2008 8:06:27 GMT -5
Noticed y'all didn't have any info on ketosis on the forum, so I found a picture and put together a bit of information on it. It's common in dairy herds that are being pushed hard for milk production (20-30lbs/hd/day in grain is pushing a cow), but would be rare in family milk cows that have adequate fresh cow care and aren't being pushed for production. Still, since y'all do have dairy cows you might run across this problem at some point.
Simply put, ketosis is a metabolic disorder where energy output (milk) exceeds energy input (feed). It turns into a wicked downward spiral that cows have a hard time recovering from on their own, and if milk production eventually declines to the point it balances energy input, it will take months for the cow to recover. Like milk fever, it’s most common in older, high producing fresh (less than 30 days post partum) cows.
Ketotic cow…
She’s up, she’s alert… she’s also very thin and has extremely low milk production despite being about 10 days fresh. She would eat hay but not grain. Rectal exam confirmed she’d cleaned and did not have a uterine infection, but she had a significant amount of rocks in her manure, common enough in a ketotic cow.
Symptoms – sharply decreased milk production, rapid weight loss (I’ve seen 200lbs disappear in 48 hours), stumbling, semi-blindness, head pressing, eating dirt, rocks, etc, aggression, no appetite for grain – and of course the oft-mentioned sickly sweet breath (something I haven’t been able to pick up before).
Treatment – the standard treatment is an IV of 500mLs of 50% dextrose. Don’t give it SC or in the peritoneum as it will produce a nasty abcess, and if given IP, can result in peritonitis – very life threatening! If you're inexperienced in running an IV let a vet or other experienced person do it for you. Other treatments include Ketogel (oral administration), insulin, propylene glycol (oral administration – fill a 16oz pop bottle), and dexamethasone (IV, IM, or SC).
Most commonly recommended treatment is to give an IV of 500mLs of dextrose with 10mL dexamethasone injected into the bottle and 20mL of vitamin B complex. I will note that Ketogel or propylene glycol is 10x easier and quicker. Treatment is often repeated at 24 hour intervals until the cow is back on feed and her milk production has increased.
Note that ketosis rarely comes alone. It’s often preceeded by milk fever, and can be followed by problems such as fatty liver and displaced abomasum (DA – twisted gut). A cow that doesn’t appear to recover after a few days of treatment ought to be checked by a vet for a DA.
Ketotic cows are also more at risk for ketosis on the next lactation, same as a cow that has milk fever one year is prone to get it again the next year. It's best prevented by a good dry cow program where there are no drastic feed changes between 30 days prior to calving and 30 days after calving. If you have a high producing cow that needs grain, it should be introduced prior to calving and increased gradually as needed.
Simply put, ketosis is a metabolic disorder where energy output (milk) exceeds energy input (feed). It turns into a wicked downward spiral that cows have a hard time recovering from on their own, and if milk production eventually declines to the point it balances energy input, it will take months for the cow to recover. Like milk fever, it’s most common in older, high producing fresh (less than 30 days post partum) cows.
Ketotic cow…
She’s up, she’s alert… she’s also very thin and has extremely low milk production despite being about 10 days fresh. She would eat hay but not grain. Rectal exam confirmed she’d cleaned and did not have a uterine infection, but she had a significant amount of rocks in her manure, common enough in a ketotic cow.
Symptoms – sharply decreased milk production, rapid weight loss (I’ve seen 200lbs disappear in 48 hours), stumbling, semi-blindness, head pressing, eating dirt, rocks, etc, aggression, no appetite for grain – and of course the oft-mentioned sickly sweet breath (something I haven’t been able to pick up before).
Treatment – the standard treatment is an IV of 500mLs of 50% dextrose. Don’t give it SC or in the peritoneum as it will produce a nasty abcess, and if given IP, can result in peritonitis – very life threatening! If you're inexperienced in running an IV let a vet or other experienced person do it for you. Other treatments include Ketogel (oral administration), insulin, propylene glycol (oral administration – fill a 16oz pop bottle), and dexamethasone (IV, IM, or SC).
Most commonly recommended treatment is to give an IV of 500mLs of dextrose with 10mL dexamethasone injected into the bottle and 20mL of vitamin B complex. I will note that Ketogel or propylene glycol is 10x easier and quicker. Treatment is often repeated at 24 hour intervals until the cow is back on feed and her milk production has increased.
Note that ketosis rarely comes alone. It’s often preceeded by milk fever, and can be followed by problems such as fatty liver and displaced abomasum (DA – twisted gut). A cow that doesn’t appear to recover after a few days of treatment ought to be checked by a vet for a DA.
Ketotic cows are also more at risk for ketosis on the next lactation, same as a cow that has milk fever one year is prone to get it again the next year. It's best prevented by a good dry cow program where there are no drastic feed changes between 30 days prior to calving and 30 days after calving. If you have a high producing cow that needs grain, it should be introduced prior to calving and increased gradually as needed.