Effect of storage time and temperature on total calcium concentrations in bovine blood
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro20197202Keywords:
subclinical hypocalcemia, calcium concentrations, milk feverAbstract
Subclinical hypocalcemia (SCH), a reduction in blood calcium concentrations without apparent clinical signs of milk fever, occurs in 25 to 50 % of early-postpartum dairy cows. Compared to their normocalcemic counterparts, these cows have an increased risk of subsequent disease developments, reduced milk production, and poorer reproductive performance. Due to the absence of an economical and accurate on-farm test, the mainstay of individual cow testing and herd-level monitoring is done through total calcium (tCa) analysis performed at regional laboratories or veterinary clinics. Due to practicality reasons, this often results refrigeration of whole blood for various lengths of time prior to centrifugation or prolonged storage of frozen plasma or serum. In order to provide bovine practitioners and researchers with the optimal method of handling samples for tCa testing, our objective was to examine the effect of storage time and temperature on tCa concentrations in bovine blood.