Subclinical ketosis is a widespread metabolic disease in early-lactation dairy cows, causing reduced feed intake, pain, and increased susceptibility to other welfare-compromising conditions.
Subclinical ketosis represents a significant, often invisible welfare burden in dairy herds. Cows in negative energy balance experience reduced appetite, lethargy, and increased vulnerability to concurrent diseases that compound welfare compromise. The transition period (3 weeks before to 3 weeks after calving) is the peak risk window. Herds achieving less than 15% subclinical ketosis prevalence demonstrate that the condition is substantially preventable through body condition management, transition diet quality, and early detection using cow-side blood ketone testing.