Production diseases of the transition cow: Milk fever and subclinical hypocalcaemia

Abstract

Milk fever and subclinical hypocalcaemia (total blood calcium ≤2.0 mmol/l) are the most important macromineral disorders that affect transition dairy cows. It is important to realise, that of all the production diseases experienced by dairy cattle, milk fever is related to the occurrence of many other problems, the timing of which would suggest that milk fever was at least one (if not the only) predisposing factor that lead to a second transition or early-lactation cow disorder. On average, 5-10% of dairy cows succumb to clinical milk fever, with the literature suggesting that the incidence rate in individual herds reaches as high as 34% (Houe