Oral and Poster Abstracts

1
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Clinical Sciences,
Ruminant Medicine and Epidemiology, Uppsala, Sweden
2
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Animal Environment
and Health, Skara, Sweden
3
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Animal Nutrition and
Management, Uppsala, Sweden
4
National Food Administration, Meat Control Division, Uppsala,
Sweden
To investigate associations between blood parameters and periparturient
health status, cows in 40 Swedish dairy herds were blood sampled and
clinically examined from 4 weeks ante partum (ap) to 7 weeks
postpartum (pp, 8-26 cows/herd). The status of the cows was classified as
healthy (n=667), disturbed general condition (n=36), mastitis (n=19) or
other disease (n=12). Blood parameters analysed were glucose, insulin,
cholesterol, haptoglobin, glutamate dehydrogenase (GD), nonesterified
fatty acids (NEFA), betahydroxybutyrate (BHB), aspartate
aminotransferase (AST) and fructosamine. Associations between status
and blood parameters were assessed by linear mixed models with
predictors parity (1, 2, ≥ 3), breed (Swedish Red, Swedish Holstein,
others), time period (-4 to -2 w ap, -1 w ap, at calving £ 1 day, 1 w pp, 2
w pp, 3-4 w pp and 5-7 w pp), status and the interaction between time
period and status. Herd was included as a random effect. Glucose was
significantly (p