Association Between Postpartum High B-Hydroxybutyrate and/or Non-Esterified Fatty Acids and Plasma Metabolites, Body Condition and Reproductive Performance in Dairy Cows-Juniper Publishers
JUNIPER PUBLISHERS - OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL OF DAIRY & VETERINARY SCIENCES Abstract The objectives were to assess post-partum blood non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and p hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), considered either together or separately, relative to plasma metabolites, body condition score (BCS), estrus cyclicity and first service pregnancyin 50 dairy cows sampled from 15 to 52 days in milk (DIM).The thresholds for high NEFA and BHBA were ≥0.70 Mm and ≥ 0.96mM at DIM 30, respectively. Cows with simultaneously high BHBA and NEFA have different plasma metabolite profile compared to cows with low BHBA or NEFA and, to a lesser extent, compared to cows with high NEFA only. The change in BCS from calving to DIM 52 showed a similar pattern, with a more intensive BCS decrease in cases of high BHBA and NEFA, although the difference from cows with high NEFA only was not significant. Compared to cows with low BHBA and low NEFA, the odds of estrus cyclicity at DIM 52 was 85% lo...