The Veterinary Record 159:655-661 (2006)
© 2006 British Veterinary Association
Use of metabolic profiles for the assessment of dietary adequacy in UK dairy herds
A. I. Macrae, BVM&S, PhD, CertSHP, CertCHP, MRCVS1,
D. A. Whitaker, MA, VetMB, MVSc, MRCVS1,
E. Burrough, BSc1,
A. Dowell, MIST1 and
J. M. Kelly, BVM&S, DVM&S, HonFRCVS1
1 Dairy Herd Health and Productivity Service, Division of Veterinary Clinical
Studies, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh,
Easter Bush Veterinary Centre, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG
Between April 1999 and March 2004, metabolic profile analyses were
performed on individual blood samples from 35,506 dairy cattle in the UK.
Assessment of the cows' energy status by the analysis of plasma samples for
ß-hydroxybutyrate, glucose and non-esterified fatty acids showed that
70·4 per cent of the cows in early lactation (10 to 20 days calved),
57·1 per cent of the cows in mid-lactation (51 to 120 days calved) and
57·7 per cent of the dry cows within 10 days of their predicted calving
date had one or more energy metabolites outside the optimum range; in
addition, 16 per cent of the cows in early lactation, 5·6 per cent of
those in mid-lactation and 20·5 per cent of the dry cows within 10 days
of their predicted calving date had a low plasma urea nitrogen concentration,
indicating poor intakes of effective rumen-degradable protein. Abnormalities
in the concentrations of magnesium, inorganic phosphate, copper, selenium and
iodine were relatively uncommon. The transitional period, particularly in late
pregnancy, was commonly identified as a constraint on productivity.
Nutritional problems were most commonly associated with poor feed intakes and
poor feed management, rather than with the formulation of the rations.
Copyright © 2006 British Veterinary Association
