Recent Trends in Management of Metabolic Disorders of Transition Cows and Buffaloes

The transition period from three weeks prepartum to three weeks post-partum is associated with peak incidence of production/metabolic diseases viz. milk fever, post-parturient hemoglobinuria and ketosis. Parturient paresis is an important metabolic disorder of high yielding mature dairy cows and buffaloes occurring 24-8 hours after calving and characterized by subnormal body temperature and sternal/lateral recumbency. A more reliable method of controlling milk fever in dairy cows is to manipulate dietary cation anion differences (DCAD) by feeding of anionic supplements during late prepartum and early postpartum period. Post parturient haemoglobinuria is metabolic disease of high producing dairy animals characterized by intravascular haemolysis, haemoglobinuria and anemia. Disease is known to occur during post-parturient period in cows, however in buffaloes it occurs during early lactation and advance pregnancy. Buffered phosphorous preparation is highly effective and safe in therapeutic management of haemoglobinuria. Ketosis is a multi-factorial disorder of energy metabolism in dairy cows and buffaloes caused by negative energy balance as result of feeding of low carbohydrate diet and heavy drain of lactose through milk. The disease is characterized by drop in milk yield, rapid loss of body weight, refusal of concentrate, hypoglycaemia and ketonuria. The rational treatment in ketosis is to relieve the need for glucose formation in tissues and allow ketone body utilization to continue normally. In problem herd the disease can be easily prevented by providing glucogeogenic precursors and bypass fat.