By Bertoni, G. and Cappa, V. and Trevisi, E., Zootecnica e Nutrizione Animale, 1989
Description
The 2 farms chosen for the trial differed in the occurrence of post-partum health problems in the one, and their absence in the other. In addition to the control of milk yield and of variations in a wide number of blood-chemical parameters throughout the 1st month of lactation of 10 cows on each farm, information was collated on the nature of the health problems, and the characteristics of the rations given before and during lactation. The results confirmed the occurrence of numerous 'illnesses' even in the 10 cows controlled on the 'problem' farm: 2 subjects were operated for displaced abomasum, 3 had retained placenta and there were a number of cases of mastitis and lameness. Consequently, milk production and thus DM intake was clearly lower for these animals, while the energy and protein requirements were met in similar way with the animals of each farm. An assessment of the cause of the problems based on the variations in the blood parameters would seem to indicate ante-partum stress and post-partum fatty liver as being mainly responsible. A possible explanation of the origin of the fatty liver and the insufficient synthesis of hepatic lipoproteins could be as a result not of acute liver damage, but rather of other conditions that interfere with hepatocyte activity
The 2 farms chosen for the trial differed in the occurrence of post-partum health problems in the one, and their absence in the other. In addition to the control of milk yield and of variations in a wide number of blood-chemical parameters throughout the 1st month of lactation of 10 cows on each farm, information was collated on the nature of the health problems, and the characteristics of the rations given before and during lactation. The results confirmed the occurrence of numerous 'illnesses' even in the 10 cows controlled on the 'problem' farm: 2 subjects were operated for displaced abomasum, 3 had retained placenta and there were a number of cases of mastitis and lameness. Consequently, milk production and thus DM intake was clearly lower for these animals, while the energy and protein requirements were met in similar way with the animals of each farm. An assessment of the cause of the problems based on the variations in the blood parameters would seem to indicate ante-partum stress and post-partum fatty liver as being mainly responsible. A possible explanation of the origin of the fatty liver and the insufficient synthesis of hepatic lipoproteins could be as a result not of acute liver damage, but rather of other conditions that interfere with hepatocyte activity
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