Most of the metabolic diseases of dairy cows milk fever, ketosis, retained placenta (RP), and displacement of the abomasum occur within the first 2 wk of lactation. And, the etiology of many of those metabolic diseases that are not clinically apparent during the first 2 wk of lactation, such as laminitis, can be traced back to insults that occurred in early lactation. In addition to metabolic d...

To establish a method to predict postpartum diseases using prepartum back fat thickness (BFT), the peripartum BFTs of 54 healthy multiparous cows before calving, which were diagnosed with postpartum displacement of the abomasum (DA), clinical ketosis or subclinical ketosis were compared with those of healthy cows from 8 weeks before the expected calving date to 8 weeks after calving. The peripa...

Thirty-nine male Friesian calves, divided into three groups (L, S and SL), were reared until they were 147 to 175 days old. Group L calves remained preruminant until slaughter. Group S calves were weaned between 5 and 9 weeks of age and then received a concentrate feed and dehydrated fescue ad libitum. Besides this diet, group SL calves received a liquid supplement containing whey powder and so...

The Vital 90TM Days begins approximately 60 days prior to calving and continues through the first 30 days of lactation. During this time, dairy cows experience a series of biological and physiological transitions that are usually accompanied by large changes in feed intake, dramatic shifts in hormonal profiles, and major fluxes in hepatic demands and function. The resulting negative energy and ...