Metabolic Diseases of Dairy Cattle

Preface
Metabolic Diseases of Dairy
Cattle

Thomas H. Herdt, DVM, MS

Editor

Metabolic disease continues to be a substantial challenge in the dairy industry, not only
in North America but also in all other regions in which modern dairy cattle breeds are
managed and fed for high milk yields. Undoubtedly, some of this continuing challenge
is related to progressive improvement in dairy cow genetics and the ever-increasing
average milk yields of modern dairy cattle. Improvements in production capacity chal-
lenge us to manage and feed cows to allow them to adapt to the tremendous metabolic
demands of high milk production. More than this, however, I believe the continued and
perhaps even enhanced interest in metabolic diseases of dairy cattle comes from our
expanding understanding of the diverse ramifications of the metabolic events of early
lactation. These ramifications go well beyond those associated with traditionally
described metabolic diseases, such as milk fever and ketosis, and include the much
broader realm of nearly all diseases common to early lactation cows. The intertwining
associations among various metabolic stresses and their relationships to other dis-
eases, particularly infectious and inflammatory diseases of early lactation, have now
become a central focus of the interest in metabolic diseases of dairy cattle.
The issue leads off with articles addressing this complex association of metabolism
with other health and nutritional challenges to the dairy cow. The article by Lorraine
Sordillo and William Raphael illustrates the interrelationship of metabolism and inflam-
mation and describes how metabolic events may lead to altered inflammatory re-
sponses and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases. The following article by
Michael Allen and Paola Piantoni addresses new concepts in the potential relationship
between metabolism and appetite regulation, particularly in early lactation cows. Ideas
expressed in this article point to the potential of a “downward spiral” of metabolic
events that may diminish feed intake at the exact time when feed intake should be
increasing. The contributions by Jenne De Koster and Geert Opsomer, and by JR
Roche and coworkers, discuss the long-term implications of body condition and
body condition changes, their effects on insulin resistance, and subsequent effects

Vet Clin Food Anim 29 (2013) xi–xii

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cvfa.2013.05.001 vetfood.theclinics.com
0749-0720/13/$ – see front matter Ó 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.
xii Preface

on metabolic health. The articles by Ian Lean and colleagues, in addition to giving
many practical recommendations for dry cow feeding and management, also present
some new ideas and information describing potential mechanisms for an interrelation-
ship and interaction between mineral and energy metabolism. I believe these articles
all broaden the scope of what we’ve traditionally called “metabolic disease.”
Other articles in this issue describe diagnostic tools for the herd-level evaluation of
metabolic status and metabolic disease risk. Some of these are well developed and
others are in development. The article by Paula Ospina and coworkers describes
rigorous new approaches to the herd-level evaluation of serum nonesterified fatty
acid and b-hydroxybutryic acid concentrations. These tests have been in wide appli-
cation for some time and this article offers new insights, particularly into the herd-level
interpretation of these values. The contribution from Giuseppe Bertoni and Erminio
Trevisi points out the potential advantages in creating multivariate testing approaches
to be applied at both the individual animal and the herd level. In this same vein of
describing potentially new testing procedures to aid in the management of metabolic
disease in dairy cows, Jenne Koester and Geert Opsomer describe diagnostic tests
that may become practical in the field for the evaluation of insulin resistance in cows.
Finally, several articles in this issue, including some of those mentioned above,
include sections describing very practical regimens for the management and preven-
tion of metabolic disease in dairy cows. Included among these are those by Jessica
Gordon and colleagues on ketosis therapy and Garrett Oetzel on the prophylactic
use of oral calcium supplements.
I wish to express my admiration for and my appreciation to the contributing au-
thors. They are a distinguished group of international scientists. This issue represents
a worldwide contribution to continuing developments in the investigation, manage-
ment, and prevention of metabolic diseases in dairy cattle.

Thomas H. Herdt, DVM, MS

Department of Large Animal
Clinical Sciences and Diagnostic
Center for Population and Animal Health
College of Veterinary Medicine
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
E-mail address:
Herdt@cvm.msu.edu