• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.7
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• pp.1111-1115
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• 1999

In order to determine the appropriate sampling time for blood metabolites of periparturient cows, the changes of the blood composition in relation to time of day were evaluated in sixteen multiparous Holstein cows at 1 wk prepartum, 1 and 6 d postpartum. Blood samples were collected at 08:30, 10:00, 15:30 and 17:00 h in each sampling day, and the sampling times at 08:30 and 15:30 h were prior to feeding. The rectal temperature of cows increased gradually from 08:30, to 17:00 h, but blood Hct and Hb decreased constantly. Plasma non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentration at 08:30 h was two-fold higher than those at 10:00, 15:30 and 17:00 h from 1 wk prepartum to 6 d postpartum, and the value was maximum at 1 d postpartum. The highest plasma urea-N was observed at 10:00 h from 1 wk prepartum to 6 d postpartum. Plasma glucose and total protein were not affected by sampling time. The data indicated that blood samples of periparturient cows should be collected before morning feeding for the diagnosis of energy status, because plasma NEFA was the highest before morning feeding.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.199-206
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• 2022

Postpartum diseases should be predicted to prevent productivity loss before calving especially in organic dairy farms. This study was aimed to investigate the incidence of postpartum metabolic diseases in an organic dairy farm in Korea, to confirm the association between diseases and prepartum blood biochemical parameters, and to evaluate the accuracy of these parameters with a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for identifying vulnerable cows. Data were collected from 58 Holstein cows (16 primiparous and 42 multiparous) having calved for 2 years on an organic farm. During a transition period from 4 weeks prepartum to 4 weeks postpartum, blood biochemistry was performed through blood collection every 2 weeks with a physical examination. Thirty-one (53.4%) cows (9 primiparous and 22 multiparous) were diagnosed with at least one postpartum disease. Each incidence was 27.6% for subclinical ketosis, 22.4% for subclinical hypocalcemia, 12.1% for retained placenta, 10.3% for displaced abomasum and 5.2% for clinical ketosis. Between at least one disease and no disease, there were significant differences in the prepartum levels of parameters like body condition score (BCS), non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), total bilirubin (T-bil), direct bilirubin (D-bil) and NEFA to total cholesterol (T-chol) ratio (p < 0.05). The ROC analysis of each of these prepartum parameters had the area under the curve (AUC) <0.7. However, the ROC analysis with logistic regression including all these parameters revealed a higher AUC (0.769), sensitivity (71.0%), and specificity (77.8%). The ROC analysis with logistic regression including the prepartum BCS, NEFA, T-bil, D-bil, and NEFA to T-chol ratio can be used to identify cows that are vulnerable to postpartum diseases with moderate accuracy.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.163-169
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• 1993

This study examined the incidence of disease and blood biochemical values in 68 Holstein cattle during the a month period after parturition. In order to compare the blood biochemical values, the animals were divided into 2 groups of prepartum and 4 groups of postpartum according to the blood collecting day, respectively. The results compared postpartum with prepartum were obtained as follows : the incidences of displacement of abomasum, culled and retained placenta were 11.8%. 13.2% and 8.8%, respectively. In the normal group(pre and post parturition group), NEFA and bilirubin were increased. Triglyceride and cholesterol were significantly lower than In the pre-parturition group, and total lipid was decreased. In the disease group, displacement of abomasum was significantly higher than in the normal group in the levels of NEFA, triglyceride and bilirubin. Culled was significantly higher than in the normal group in the levels of NEFA, AST and bilirubin. but lower than in the normal group in the levels of triglyceride and cholesterol. Retained placenta was significantly higher than in the normal group in the levels of NEFA and bilirubin, but lower than in the normal group in the levels of triglyceride.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.26-30
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• 1981

The purpose of this study was to measure the serum content of progesterone, estradiol 17${\beta}$ and cortisol. Blood samples collected from day 20 prepartum to day 20 postpartum in 8 sows. Progesterone and estradiol-17${\beta}$ were assayed by radioimmunoassay methods and cortisol was determined by competitive protein-binding methods. Progesterone levels began to decline on day -4, reached 1.9ng/ml by day +2 and remained quite constant thereafter. Progesterone levels remained fairly constant(18.4 to 20.0 ng/ml) from 20 to 6 days before parturition. Estrdiol-17${\beta}$ increased from 205 pg/ml at day 6 prepartum to 425 pg/ml at the time of parturition. Cortisol reached a peak level of 86.5 ng/ml at day 0.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.298-303
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• 1997

Sixteen holstein heifers were employed to study the effect of thermal stress on rectal temperature and mineral status of heifers around parturition during hot and cool weather. During the hot weather, rectal temperatures of the heifers measured at 08:30 and 15:30 h from 7 d prepartum to parturition were higher than those during the cool weather. Blood hematocrit and hemoglobin were not significantly different between the hot and cool weather, but at 2 and 1 wk prepartum, those during the hot weather were higher. Plasma Ca, inorganic P and Fe of the heifers during the hot weather were higher than those during the cool weather, but plasma Mg and Zn and serum alkaline phosphatase during the hot weather were lower. Colostral protein and Mg of heifers at parturition during the hot weather were lower than those during the cool weather, but colostral Ca, P, Fe and Zn were not affected by the weather.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.1614-1618
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• 2003

Twenty crossbred (HF${\times}$Tharparkar) dry pregnant cows were divided into four equal groups. They were supplemented with 1,000 I.U. $\alpha$-tocopheryl acetate from 0 (group I), 15 (group II), 30 (group III) and 60 (group IV) days before parturition to 1month of lactation. All the cows were kept under similar feeding and management conditions. Blood plasma samples collected on specific days were analyzed for $\alpha$-tocopherol, retinol, total antioxidant activity (FRAP), immunoglobulin and calcium. Plasma $\alpha$-tocopherol concentration at 30 days prepartum averaged 3.5, 4.1, 4.4 and $3.9{\mu}g/ml$ and decreased by 50.0, 41.4, 34.1 and 33.3 percent on the day of parturition in the four respective groups. After calving, plasma vitamin E started to recover earlier in groups II, III and IV as compared to group I. Mean plasma $\alpha$-tocopherol concentration at 21 days postpartum was significantly higher in groups II, III and IV (2.9, 3.5 and $3.1{\mu}g/ml$) compared to group I ($1.9{\mu}g/ml$) cows. Plasma retinol concentration also showed a substantial decrease in all the groups on the day of calving but recovered to its normal value at 3 weeks postpartum. Plasma total antioxidant activity averaged 901, 895, 859 and $875{\mu}mol/l$ in the four respective groups on 30 days prepartum and decreased on the day of calving in all the groups, but the decrease was less in groups III and IV. Plasma immunoglobulin concentration was higher in group IV, followed by groups III, II and I, respectively, showing better immune status of vitamin E supplemented cows due to less oxidative stress. Supplementation of vitamin E resulted in higher plasma calcium concentration. The data showed that vitamin E supplementation should be started at least 30 days prepartum to reduce oxidative stress in periparturient cows.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.659-664
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• 2012

The present experiment aimed to evaluate the effect of HMBi on the production performance and metabolism in dairy cows. Thirty multiparous Holstein dairy cows under similar conditions were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments; i) Control, a basal diet; ii) T1, a basal diet plus HMBi (0 g prepartum and 18 g postpartum); and iii) T2, a basal diet plus HMBi (10 g prepartum and 18 g postpartum). Treatments were initiated 21 d before expected calving and continued through 91 d postpartum. HMBi was top-dressed onto the total mixed ration of each cow. Treatments did not affect dry matter intake, plasma urea nitrogen, peak milk yield, days to peak milk yield, nonesterified fatty acid, glutamate pyruvate transaminase, glutamic oxalaetic transaminase, milk fat content, milk protein content, milk lactose content, and milk solid non-fat content. The milk composition yields were increased by the HMBi-supplemented treatment. The T1 and T2 treatments increased the yields of 4% fat-corrected milk yield, milk fat, milk protein, and milk lactose compared with the control. Although there was no difference in the milk composition of the control and T2-treated cows, the T2-treated cows exhibited higher milk fat yield (increased by 74 g/d), lower milk urea nitrogen (reduced by 3.41%), and plasma ${\beta}$-hydroxy butyrate than the control cows. The results indicate that HMBi supplementation to diet has beneficial effects, and that there is no difference between supplementation at prepartum and starting only at parturition.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.329-333
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• 2000

Data of 15 multiparous Holstein cows kept at Ibaraki Prefectural Animal Experiment Station were collected from 10 weeks prepartum to 20 weeks postpartum. Cows were assigned randomly to a soybean meal (S8M) diet or a fish meal (FM) diet from 4 weeks before expected calving date to 20 weeks postpartum. Each diet was formulated to contain similar amounts of CP, ADF, and NDF. In the FM diet, 2.5 and 5% of fish meal were supplemented as total mixed rations in prepartum and postpartum periods, respectively. Compared to the SBM diet, undegraded intake protein (UIP) and Met were higher in the FM diet, but Lys was low. Body weight and dry matter intake were not affected by supplemental FM, and dry matter intake increased by 6 weeks postpartum and maintained constant after 7 weeks postpartum. Cows in the FM diet remained high milk production during the experimental period, but milk yield in the SBM diet decreased gradually after 6 weeks postpartum. Supplemental FM increased milk yield and protein yield from 10 to 20 weeks postpartum when FM intake was 1.19 kg/d, although milk protein was not improved. There were no significance differences in fat content and fat yield between FM and SBM diets. Supplemental FM had no effect on plasma glucose and urea-N at parturition and 7 weeks postpartum. Thus, the increased milk and protein yield may be due to the combination of carryover effect of supplemental UIP or Met in FM from 4 weeks prepartum to 10 weeks postpartum and direct effect of supplemental FM.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1415-1421
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• 2006

Proper nutritional management during the dry period is required to prevent metabolic disorders during the time of parturition and for potential increase milk yield during early lactation, especially under the heat of summer. The effect of prepartum diets on partitioning of nitrogen (N), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg) and potassium (K) during dry period and early lactation in summer was investigated. Nine cows were assigned to two groups and fed either control (group C: four cows) or high concentrate (group H: five cows) diets to meet 110% of their requirements before parturition. The proportion of concentrate in control diet was 35%, and that in the high concentrate diet was 45%. After parturition, all cows were fed the same diets ad libitum during lactation. Balance trials were conducted at 9, 8 and 7 days before parturition and at 12, 13 and 14 days after parturition. Before parturition, dry matter intake (DMI), DM and NFE digestibility in group C tended to be lower than those in group H. The retention of N (p<0.01) and P (p<0.05) in group C during the dry period was significantly lower than those in group H. The retention of Mg in group C during the dry period tended to be lower than in group H. The concentration of plasma NEFA in group C tended to be higher than in group H during dry period. The prepartum diet did not have an apparent effect on DMI and milk yield at 2 weeks after parturition and N, Ca, P, Mg and K balance after parturition.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.486-495
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• 2012

Twenty four periparturient cows were used to determine the effects of DCAD on acid-base balance, plasma and urine mineral concentrations, health status, and subsequent lactation performance. Each group of 12 cows received either a diet containing -100 DCAD or +100 DCAD for 21 d prepartum. Both anionic and cationic groups were divided into two groups, one received a +200 DCAD and the other +400 DCAD diet for 60 d postpartum. Prepartum reduction of DCAD decreased DMI, urinary and blood pH, urinary concentrations of Na or K and increased plasma and urinary Ca, Mg, Cl and S. Also cows fed -100 DCAD diet consumed the most dry matter in the first 60 d after calving. Postpartum +400 DCAD increased milk fat and total solid percentages, urinary and blood pH and urinary Na and K concentrations, but urinary Ca, P, Cl and S contents decreased. Greater DMI, FCM yields were observed in cows fed a diet of +400 DCAD than +200 DCAD. No case of milk fever occurred for any diets but feeding with a negative DCAD diet reduced placenta expulsion time. In conclusion, feeding negative DCAD in late gestation period and high DCAD in early lactation improves performance and productivity of dairy cows.