Oral and Poster Abstracts

they all died in a two to three day course. Of the necropsy findings, the
severe fatty change of the liver seemed to be the most important. The
diagnosis of “Primary pregnancy toxemia of Sheep” was made upon the
gathered data. With this, the remaining ewes in the “non-pregnant
diagnosed” group were rechecked for the presence of pregnancy and
those found pregnant, were moved to a higher energy diet with
nutritional supports and eventually further cases and losses were
prevented. From these, it has been concluded that a small error in early
pregnancy diagnosis via Ultrasonography can lead to significant losses
in sheep flocks. So it is important to know, along with modernizing the
techniques in animal husbandry, it is of great importance to implement
the methods meticulously to prevent such problems.
Key words: sheep, pregnancy toxemia, metabolic disorders
506 The Use of Urinary pH Measured in Pooled Urine Samples
for Monitoring the Use of Anionic Salts in Dairy Cow Herds
C. Gelfert 1 , S. Römer 2 , N. Brand 2 , M. Goebbels 2 , R. Staufenbiel 2
1
University of Veterianary Medicine, Clinic for ruminants, Vienna,
Austria
2
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universitaet Berlin, Clinic for
Ruminants and Pigs, Berlin, Germany
The use of pooled urine samples of dairy cows was evaluated in the
monitoring of the use of anionic salts (AS). In a first step, it was evaluated,
whether the pH of pooled samples reflect sufficiently the calculated mean
of the pH measured in the single samples, which form the pooled one.
Five large dairy farms in Germany were visited monthl, and 10 cows each
from four different stages of lactation were randomly selected. From each
cow, a urine sample was taken by using a urinal catheter and a pooled
sample was produced for each stage of lactation by merging equal
amounts of each single sample. The urinal pH was measured in the single
samples and the pooled samples (x p) with a portal pH meter. After
measuring the pH in the single samples, the mean pH of each lactational
group (x s) was calculated. The evaluation of xp followed the procedure of
Bland and Altmann (1986). The mean of xs was 8.22 and the mean of x p
was 8.29. The urinary pH of Xp was slightly higher than xs. The mean
difference was 0.07. These small increases of pH only bore a negligible
risk of false diagnosis of urinary acid-base status. In the second step, the
urinary pH of pooled samples was tested in reflecting the use of AS in
dairy cow herds. 26 dairy farms were visited on which AS were used.
Urine samples from 10 randomly selected healthy transition cows were
taken, and a feed sample from the total mix ration including the anionic
salts was taken to measure the concentrations of the following minerals:
sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, and sulfate, and DCAD was
calculated. Although all farms used AS, a high variation of urinary pH
was visible, ranging from 5.90 to 8.64. DCAD also showed a high
variation ranging from -393 mEq/kg DM to 303 mEq/kg DM. A DCAD
below zero was no guarantee for a decrease of urinary pH. Therefore, the
farms were grouped according the diagnostic result of urinary pH (cut off
point 7.8). DCAD tends (p=0.070) to result in lower values when urinary
pH decreased (-1.96mEq&kg DM/114mEq/kg DM). Pooling samples of
cows of the same stage of lactation minimizes laboratory work and
resulting costs and the measured value corresponds sufficiently to the
calculated mean of the single samples. The use of AS in the prevention of
periparturient hypocalcaemia has to be monitored by urine analysis.
Measuring DCAD may lead to misinterpretation when other faults in feed
management exist.
507 Effect of Anionic Salts Supplement in Last Two Months
Pregnant on Metabolic Disorders and Blood Minerals of
Holstein Cow
M. Ganjkhanlou, A. Nikkah, A. Zali, M. Motlagh
Animal Sciences Group, animal science, Karaj, Iran
In order to, investigate the effect of feeding cow with different of dietary
cation anion balance (DCAB) in far-off and close-up period, on
metabolic disorders and blood composition of Holstein cow in
pregnancy and fresh period this experiment was carried out. In this study
18 Holstein pregnant cows (220-225 d) were fed individually, a base
diet with tree different DCAB (+13(control), 0,-13 mEq [(Na+K)-
(Cl+S)]/100gr dry matter) for 60±5 days. For decrease DCAB two anion
salts such as ammonium chloride and ammonium sulphate were used.
The result indicated milk fever percentage were 0, 33, 33 for diet -13,
0,+13 mEq/100gr DM, respectively. The rate of retained placenta was
9.37, 4.62, 4.61 in cows received diet +13,0,-13 mEq/100gr DM
32 XXV. Jubilee World Buiatrics Congress 2008
respectively. Blood pH, Na, K, Mg and Ca were unaffected by dietary
cation-anion balance. Urinary PH of cows was affected by diets. Urinary
pH increased linearly with increasing DCAB. The mean urinary PH was
7.99 (for diet +13), 6.81 (for diet 0) and 6.11 (for diet -13).
Key words: DCAB, ammonium chloride, ammonium sulphate,
metabolic disorders
508 The Effect of Sodium Selenite and Sel-Plex on Selenium
Deficiency Prevention in Beef Cattle
J. Illek 1 , M. Matejicek 2 , D. Kumprechtova 1 , M. Hulik 3 , T. Berka 3
1 Veterinary and Pharmaceutical University Brno, Clinic of Ruminant
Diseases, Brno, Czech Republic
2 VVS, Vermerovice, Czech Republic
3 Alltech, Alltech CZ, Praha, Czech Republic
Objective: The aim was to investigate effects of dietary inclusion of
different selenium (Se) forms and AA cows in the grazing season.
Material and methods: 3 Se deficient herds, grazed at Se deficient
pastures (bellow 0.1 mg Se/mg DM). Herd A got a complete mineral
lick with sodium selenite (30 mg Se/kg). Herd B got mineral feed with
sodium selenite (30 mg Se/kg). Herd C got mineral feed with organic
Se (Sel-Plex) (30 mg Se/kg). Grazing season was April - November.
There were groups by 40 cows, along with calves and a bull. They fed
ad libitum on pasture forage and the mineral lick or mineral feeds only.
In the end of the pasture season, 10 cows from each herd were
withdrawn blood samples. Whole blood Se levels and
glutathionperoxidase (GPx) activity were measured, metabolic profile
parameters analysed in serum. In the end of grazing season, all the
cows were pregnancy tested.
Results: Se (ug/l) and GPx (ukat/l) in blood
Herd A B C
Se GPx Se GPx Se GPx
Mean 52.0 aA 320.8 A 61.4 bA 494.6 B 84.4 B 796.0 C
S.D. 4.5 97.8 3.9 44.2 11.8 71.0
C.V. 8.7 30.5 6.3 8.9 14.0 8.0
a,b,c P < 0.05; A,B,C P < 0.001
Whole blood Se levels and GPx activity in AA cows at end grazing
season were markedly different between the herds. Herd A showed the
lowest Se levels and GPx activity, i.e. pronounced Se deficiency. Herd
B showed higher Se level and GPx activity, but still deficient. Herd C
showed significantly higher Se and GPx levels, within the
physiological ranges. Differences in body condition between the herds
were not observed, but 2 cows died in Herd A. Herds B and C had no
deaths. Death causes were not identified. There were some differences
in numbers of pregnant cows after natural mating. 75%, 80% and 95%
conceived in Herds A, B and C, respectively.
Conclusion: Organic Se favourably influenced Se levels and GPx
activity in blood and fertility. Mineral licks with sodium selenite seem
to be worst source of Se. The mineral licks did not remove Se
deficiency, which was reflected in very low Se levels and GPx activity
and worse fertility results. The results support the previous findings that
the utilization of Se from inorganic sources by cattle is poorer than that
from organic sources. The differences between Herds A and B were also
due to a lower intake of the lick than tha of the mineral feed (meal).
The study was carried out within the research project no. 1G46086
(NAZV).
Key words: beef cows, organic Se, Se deficiency, metabolic profile
509 Effects of Various Anti-Stress Additives in Daily Diets on the
Microelements of the Heat Stress Cows
H. Yuan, De. He, J. Wu, Li. Wen, Li. Yuan, R. Li, M. Zhang
Hunan Agricultural University, College of Veterinary Medicine,
Changsha, Hunan, China
Twenty healthy and lactating cows with similar weight, corporeity,
appearance, and productive capability, were selected from the cattle farm
of Hunan Agricultural University, in the hot season on August 1-30, 2007.
These cows were classified into 4 groups using a method of single-factor
comparison in order to evaluate the effects of various anti-stress additives
on the microelement in blood, milk, and hair of the heat stress cows. The
results showed that the concentration of zinc in blood was significantly