view - Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health

SUMMARY
In the final chapter of this dissertation, we comprehensively discussed the results
of our studies and placed them into the most current scientific perspectives. From this,
the following conclusions can be drawn:
Lactation curve analysis can serve as a useful tool to evaluate short and
long term effects of metabolic diseases during the transition period on
milk production. Subsequent culling analysis after metabolic diseases
should allow for a better estimation of the possible economic losses as e.g.
milk fever and retained placenta were shown to have limited effects on
milk production.
During severe NEBAL in the transition period, FA are mobilised
preferentially from the abdominal fat.
When supplementing FA to dairy cows to improve reproduction, the following
considerations should be taken:
Substantial knowledge is lacking to implement the induction of a MFD in
early lactation as a general practice in high yielding dairy cows to reduce
the NEBAL.
Supplemented n-6 and n-3 FA are successfully transferred into all blood
lipid classes, and hence are mirrored in both FF and milk fat.
Our data questions whether dairy cows which possess evolved
mechanisms to conserve essential FA within their body, are being overfed
with FA supplements hampering their reproductive capacity by
mechanisms which should be subject of further research.
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