title: Randomized clinical field trial on the effects of butaphosphan-cyanocobalamin and propylene glycol on ketosis resolution and milk production.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a butaphosphan-cyanocobalamin combination product (B+C) and 2 durations of propylene glycol treatment (PG; 3 versus 5 d) on ketosis resolution and early lactation milk yield. Cows from 9 freestall herds (8 in Ontario and 1 in Michigan) were tested at weekly intervals between 3 and 16 d in milk. Ketosis was defined as blood β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) ≥1.2 mmol/L. Ketotic cows were randomly assigned to treatment with 25 mL of B+C or 25 mL of saline placebo for 3 d and 3 or 5 d of 300 g of PG orally in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Outcomes evaluated for all farms included ketosis cure (blood BHB <1.2 mmol/L at 1 wk after enrollment), maintenance of ketosis cure (blood BHB <1.2 mmol/L 1 and 2 wk after enrollment), and blood BHB concentrations at 1 and 2 wk after enrollment. Daily milk weights were collected in 3 herds. Poisson regression was used to evaluate cure and maintenance of cure, whereas repeated-measures ANOVA was used to evaluate blood BHB concentrations in the 2 wk after enrollment and average daily milk production in the 30 d after treatment. A total of 594 animals were enrolled in the study with 124 treated with B+C and 5 d of PG, 176 treated with B+C and 3 d of PG, 128 treated with saline and 5 d of PG, and 166 treated with saline and 3 d of PG. Animals with blood BHB >2.4 mmol/L at the time of enrollment were 1.7 times more likely [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.4 to 2.2] to cure and had a decrease of 0.25 ± 0.11 mmol/L blood BHB at 1 wk after enrollment if treated with 5 d of PG compared with 3 d, though this response was not seen in animals with BHB of 1.2 to 2.4 mmol/L at enrollment. Cows with blood glucose concentrations <2.2 mmol/L at enrollment produced 3.1 kg/d (95% CI: 1.3 to 5.0) more milk if treated with B+C and 3.4 kg/d (95% CI: 1.7 to 5.1) more milk if treated with 5 d of PG compared with their respective controls. This response was not seen in animals with blood glucose ≥2.2 mmol/L at enrollment and there was no interaction between treatments. These results indicate that extended PG treatment is beneficial in decreasing blood BHB concentrations in more severely affected animals. Additionally, both B+C treatment and extended PG treatment improved milk yield in animals with low blood glucose at the time of ketosis diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: LeBlanc
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Kelton
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824.
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Herdt
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Neuder
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada. Electronic address: tduffiel@uoguelph.ca.
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Duffield
mesh_terms: D020155:3-Hydroxybutyric Acid / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D007662:Ketosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D007774:Lactation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008892:Milk / Q000187:drug effects; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019946:Propylene Glycol / Q000494:pharmacology; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D004338:Drug Combinations; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; C546561:butaphosphan, cyanocobalamin drug combination; D019946:Propylene Glycol; D014805:Vitamin B 12; D020155:3-Hydroxybutyric Acid
keywords: cyanocobalamin; glucose; ketosis; propylene glycol