Selected highlights from other veterinary journals

Risk factors for displaced abomasum or clinical ketosis in dairy herds

L. Stengärde, J. Hultgren, M. Tråvén, K. Holtenius, U. Emanuelson

THIS study assessed risk factors for displaced abomasum or clinical ketosis in dairy herds.

Dairy herds with more than 50 cows, in four provinces in Sweden, were eligible for inclusion in the study. Data on veterinary-recorded cases of displaced abomasum or clinical ketosis during three 12-month periods (April to March, 2002 to 2005) were retrieved from a national database and used to calculate incidence rates for each herd. Forty herds with a high incidence of the conditions (above the third quartile), and 20 control herds with a low (zero) incidence, were included. All herds were visited during the housing period and herdsman were interviewed to obtain information on management routines, housing, feeding, milk yield and herd health. Heifers in late gestation, dry cows, and cows in early lactation, were of particular interest. Factors associated with herds having a high incidence of displaced abomasum and/or ketosis were analysed statistically.

A higher maximum daily milk yield in multiparous cows and a large herd size tended to be associated with …