Impact of a nutritional immunomodulator in dry cows heat stressed with an electric blanket model.

Heat stress (HT) in the dry period reduces yield and health in the next lactation. Previous work indicates that feeding OmniGen-AF® (OMN) mitigates the detrimental effects of HT. Electric blankets (EB) can induce heat stress in lactating cows, but EB have not been used with dry cows.

Negative dietary cation-anion difference and amount of calcium in prepartum diets: Effects on urine and serum minerals.

Negative dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) diets fed prepartum induce a compensated metabolic acidosis, which stimulates metabolic Ca flux before calving and decreases clinical and subclinical hypocalcemia after calving. Effects of low or high dietary Ca in these diets are unclear. Our objective was to determine the effects of inducing a prepartum metabolic acidosis and the amount of dietary Ca on urinary mineral excretion and serum mineral concentrations during the transition period in multiparous Holstein cows (n = 81).

Metabolic and blood acid-base responses to prepartum dietary cation-anion difference and calcium content in transition dairy cows.

Dairy cows commonly undergo negative Ca balance accompanied by hypocalcemia after parturition. A negative dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) strategy has been used prepartum to improve periparturient Ca homeostasis. Our objective was to determine the influence of a negative DCAD diet with different amounts of dietary Ca on the blood acid-base balance, blood gases, and metabolic adaptation to lactation.

Effects of feeding frequency and protein source in milk replacer for Holstein calves.

Whey proteins are a primary component of milk replacers (MR) and are considered the gold standard for calves. Alternative protein sources may decrease MR cost if calf performance is similar. A blend of bovine plasma protein and modified wheat protein might be a good partial replacement for whey protein.

Negative dietary cation-anion difference and amount of calcium in prepartum diets: Effects on milk production, blood calcium, and health.

Acidogenic prepartum diets with negative dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) induce compensated metabolic acidosis, which stimulates calcium (Ca) mobilization before calving and decreases clinical and subclinical hypocalcemia postpartum. This strategy is often combined with limiting dietary Ca concentrations, which historically has been used to mobilize Ca prepartum to prepare cows for lactation. Supplemental dietary Ca in combination with a negative DCAD formulation that does not reverse the effect of compensated metabolic acidosis may be beneficial.