blood sampling

Relationships between blood metabolites and energy balance in early lactation dairy cows

By E H Cabezas-Garcia, A W Gordon, C P Ferris

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.

 

Read the article here.