Parturient Paresis. V. Blood Serum Levels of Citric Acid and Calcium in Normal Parturient Cows and Cows with Parturient Paresis

Abstract

Blood serum citric acid and Ca analyses were run on 22 Jersey, 6 Guernsey and 4 Holstein cows from 10 days prepartum to 10 days postpartum. There were no significant differences in blood serum citric acid between breeds or between prepartum- and non-prepartum-milked cows. There was a highly significant correlation between blood serum citric acid and Ca over this period of time. Serum citric acid levels did not show any appreciable change between 3 and 1 days prepartum, but there was a definite drop in both milk fever and normally calving cows between 1 day prepartum and 1 day postpartum. This drop was of greater magnitude in milk fever than in normal cows. Following parturition, serum citric acid levels increased in normally calving cows and decreased in cows which developed milk fever. Part of this difference in behavior can be attributed to relapses which occurred in several of the cows with milk fever.