Farm Animals

Cattle Transition Cow Ketosis Prevention

Ketosis is the most common metabolic disease of dairy cows in early lactation and prevention significantly improves welfare and productivity.

Key Facts

Subclinical ketosis affects 40-60% of high-yielding cows in early lactation
Clinical ketosis causes anorexia, reduced milk production and severe metabolic disturbance
Propylene glycol drenching prevents clinical ketosis in high-risk individuals
Body condition at calving is the primary modifiable risk factor
Ketone monitoring allows early intervention before clinical signs develop

Welfare Considerations

Ketosis causes significant metabolic discomfort and predisposes to other diseases compounding welfare harm. Prevention through body condition management, appropriate nutrition and monitoring is superior to treatment. Farms with comprehensive transition cow programs significantly reduce ketosis prevalence and associated suffering.

What You Can Do

Support dairy welfare standards requiring transition disease monitoring
Advocate for body condition scoring throughout the production cycle
Buy dairy from farms with documented low metabolic disease rates