Fresh cow disease investigation

Breakdowns in the transition period are very expensive to both the dairy producer and the cow herself. Correctly diagnosing transition issues and identifying their root cause are essential skills for any dairy practitioner. Evaluating the individual cow, cohorts in the dry period and post-fresh pen as well as ration and pen dynamics are all necessary when identifying the un­derlying cause to a transition issue. The primary tool necessary to identify issues during this stressful period are the veterinar­ian’s observational skills and ability to organize retrospective and current data. Outside of observational skills metabolic in­dicators such as nonesterified fatty acids, urine pH, ketone lev­els and serum calcium/phosphorus levels are useful tools. Tak­ing a holistic look at both the dry period and post-fresh period balanced with client perceptions will ultimately lead to the root cause(s) of any issues in the transition period.