Abstract

Following calving, dairy cows undergo a period of negative energy balance during which they mobilise body tissue (such as fat) to support the demands of lactation. When the negative energy balance is severe, the inability of the liver to process all the mobilised fatty acids can lead to hepatic lipidosis (i.e., fatty liver disease) and incomplete fatty acid oxidation. The latter results in the hepatic production of ketone bodies, predominantly β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), which are released into the circulation as the product of ketogenesis. The increased concentration of ketones in blood is known as hyperketonaemia...

CVC, Phyn, B Kuhn-Sherlock, S-A Turner, TM Grala, CR Burke, and JR Roche

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 77, Rotorua, 104-106, 2017