History: A thorough history should cover the mare’s prepartum health and care, any problems with previous foals, and all peripartum events (e.g. expected due date, timing of udder development, presence of any prepartum milk leakage, duration of labor, and the condition of the fetal membranes and the time passed after foaling). In addition, note the foal’s immediate post-partum behavior. In gene...

Abstract Background Nutritional strategies for sows designed to reduce peripartum stress are suggested support postpartum recovery and productivity. Spray-dried plasma (SDP) in sow feed has been reported benefit litter performance. Stressed animals fed diets with SDP have a more efficient immune response supporting animal health. The objectives of the present study using 452 (147 parity 1 sows,...

Bovine neutrophils contain the enzyme acyloxyacyl hydrolase, which hydrolyzes the acyloxyacyl linkage of the two nonhydroxylated fatty acyl chains to two 3-hydroxy fatty acids in the highly conserved lipid A part of endotoxins with high specificity. This hydrolysis decreases the toxicity of lipid A, but the immunostimulatory capacity of endotoxins is largely maintained. In two trials, we studie...

Mature Charolais x Angus cows (n = 128) were adjusted to a body condition score (BCS) of 3 (1 = very thin, 3 = moderate, 5 = very fat) between 130 and 190 d of gestation. When cows averaged 190 d of gestation, they were assigned randomly to a maintenance energy diet (ME) or to a diet very low in energy (LE). Cows were allotted within these prepartum (PRP) diets to a high-energy (HE) or LE diet ...

ABSTRACT Ketosis can seriously impair cow performance. This study detected changes in prepartum blood metabolic parameters for predicting postpartum ketosis occurrence dairy cows. Body condition score (BCS) was assessed before and after delivery. Blood samples of 63 cows were collected from 10 days calving to measure including β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA), non-esterified fatty (NEFA), glucose (...

Crossbred, spring-calving cows (yr 1, n = 136; yr 2, n = 113; yr 3, n = 113) were used in a 3-yr experiment to evaluate the influence of supplemental protein prepartum and grazing subirrigated meadow postpartum on pregnancy rates and calf feedlot performance. A 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was used in a switchback design. From December 1 to February 28, cows grazed dormant upland r...

Nicotinic acid (niacin) can suppress lipolysis, but responses to dietary niacin have been inconsistent in cattle. Our aim was to determine if 24 g/d of encapsulated niacin (EN; providing 9.6g/d of bioavailable nicotinic acid) alters lipid metabolism and productivity of transition cows. Beginning 21 d before expected calving, primiparous (n = 9) and multiparous (n = 13) cows (body condition scor...


 The aims of the present study were to investigate occurrence intramammary infections in primiparous heifers treated and not with antibiotics prepartum, postpartum subsequent lactation periods verify antibiotic residues milk released for consumption. A total 188 mammary glands from 47 Black White Holstein crossbred belonging two experimental dairy farms located state São Paulo, Brazil, ev...