Relationships between blood metabolites and energy balance in early lactation dairy cows
Published on 01/04/2019
An altered metabolic state is common in high-yielding dairy cows during early lactation. A study in the United Kingdom set out to determine if blood metabolites — such as beta-hydroxy butyrate (BHB), glucose and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) — could be correlated to energy status (EB). The results showed BHB and NEFA were negatively related to EB, but there was a positive relationship with glucose. Relationships were most robust during weeks 1 through 8.
The results indicate this relationship could be integrated into health management tools.