Case report

Use of a transition cow risk assessment tool and economic assessment tool to determine areas of opportunity in a herd with high incidence of transition cow diseases

Abstract

150-cow Holstein dairy herd was experiencing a higher than desirable incidence of displaced abomasum (8% all lactations), ketosis (60% lactation 1, 75% lactation 2 and greater), and metritis (70% lactation 1, 30% lactation 2 and greater) in transition cows. The producer initially refused to implement recommended management changes that would have potentially improved transition cow health of the herd. The increased incidence of transition cow disease, along with the producer’s reluctance to make management changes, led the nutritionist and the veterinarian to partner to utilize The Vital 90™ Days risk assessment tool (dRisk) and economic assessment tool (dEconPro) as a way of identifying and motivating management changes. The results from the dEconPro showed a pre-management (1 year prior = group PRE) to post-management (1 year after = group POST) reduction in total cost per calving of $269 due to decreased incidence of ketosis, metritis, and displaced abomasum. There was significant parity-by-group interaction for milk production, with first-lactation POST cows producing more first-test milk than PRE (68.1 vs 63.5 lb [30.9 vs 28.8 kg], P=0.05). There was a tendency for more peak milk and more total 305ME milk for POST vs PRE (84.6 vs 81.0 lb [38.4 vs 36.7 kg], P=0.13 and 25,995 vs 24,953 lb [11,791 vs 11,319 kg], P=0.10 respectively). There was no difference in multiparous cows, and no difference in removals by 60 or 400 DIM for all cows. For reproductive performance, there was a tendency for higher odds of successful first service for POST vs PRE (1.83, P=0.14), but no difference in time to pregnancy through 200 DIM. The results show that The Vital 90 Days dEconPro and dRisk proved to be extremely valuable tools to help motivate positive change on this dairy. The main objective of this case study was to demonstrate how the team approach on a dairy farm could combine with the use of transition cow risk- assessment tools to validate management recommendations and quantify the impact of management changes.