Prevalence and risk factors related with clinical and subclinical ketosis type I and II in a Jersey cow herd in Costa Rica

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence and grade of ketosis type I and II, and to examine risk factors related with this metabolic disease, in a 203 cows Jersey herd in Oreamuno, Cartago, Costa Rica (9° 55' North Latitude, 83° 51' West Longitude, 2350 m of altitude), to propose management and feeding practices that contribute to reduce de incidence of this metabolic imbalance. Prevalence of type II and type I ketosis was determined by measuring blood concentration of β-hydroxybutyric acid (βHBA) at 8±3 and 30±3 days in milk in 117 and in 114 animals, respectively. No clinical type II ketosis was detected, and 4.27% of the cows had subclinical (1.4 to 2.9 mmol.l-1) ketosis of this type. Percentages of cows with clinical (>2.9 mmol.l-1) and subclinical type I ketosis were 3.51 and 9.65, respectively. During the last week of gestation, body condition loss differed (p<0.05) for healthy and type I ketotic cows and was 0.09 and 0.31 points, respectively. Cows with type I ketosis were of greater (p<0.01) parity, longer (p<0.05) dry period length and greater (p<0.01)peak milk yield, than healthy cows. Results suggest that scoring body condition during the last week of gestation could be useful to predict the risk of the animals developing type I ketosis. Based on these results, management to avoid dry periods in excess of 60 days would help to reduce the incidence of ketosis. Furthermore, feeding and management practices of older and higher producing cows, to reduce the loss of body condition post calving, could also reduce the incidence of ketosis.