Cattle Pregnancy Toxaemia: Prevention and Welfare in Late Gestation

Pregnancy toxaemia (twin lamb disease in sheep, fatty liver in cattle) occurs when energy demands of late pregnancy exceed intake, causing severe metabolic disease with high mortality if not promptly identified and treated.

Key Facts

Bovine pregnancy toxaemia occurs in overconditioned cows whose feed intake is insufficient relative to late gestation energy demands.
Affected cows develop hepatic lipidosis — fatty liver — from excessive fat mobilisation in negative energy balance.
Signs include reduced appetite, dull demeanour, weakness, and in severe cases recumbency and ketosis.
Cows carrying twins are at highest risk due to greater foetal energy demands competing with maternal metabolism.
Prevention centres on avoiding excessive body condition at drying off (BCS above 3.5) and maintaining adequate nutrition in the close-up period.
Treatment includes propylene glycol, IV glucose, and corticosteroids, with response depending on severity at detection.
Fatty liver affects an estimated 5-50% of transition dairy cows in some degree, making subclinical disease common.

Welfare Considerations

Pregnancy toxaemia and fatty liver represent significant welfare failures in cattle that are largely preventable through attention to body condition management and transition nutrition. Cows with severe fatty liver are profoundly ill — unable to eat, progressively weakening, and experiencing organ dysfunction that causes both physical suffering and systemic deterioration. The window for effective treatment is narrow — cows that have been recumbent for more than 24 hours have poor prognoses regardless of treatment intensity. Prevention through avoiding over-conditioning at dry-off and ensuring adequate energy intake in the close-up period is the only reliable welfare strategy. Farms with high transition disease rates should treat this as a welfare indicator requiring nutritional investigation.

What You Can Do

Monitor cow body condition at drying off and adjust nutrition to achieve target BCS of 3.0-3.5 at calving.
Ensure adequate, appropriately formulated close-up rations that meet late-gestation energy requirements.
Identify cows with reduced appetite in early lactation early and provide supportive nutritional intervention.
Advocate for transition cow welfare management to be included in dairy welfare certification requirements.