Prevention of parturient paresis in a Jersey Herd by feeding anionic salts during the prepartum period

Abstract

A 30-cow Jersey dairy herd in Wisconsin, USA, was found to have a 75% incidence of parturient paresis (milk fever). It was decided to supplement the diet of the non-lactating cows with an anionic salt mixture, formulated to provide 53 g ammonium chloride, 66 g ammonium sulphate, 123 g magnesium sulphate and 212 g dried distillers' grains (as a carrier) per cow per day. The anionic salts mixture was given to 9 non-lactating cows in their 4th or later lactation. Of these only 1 cow developed parturient paresis, 1 of 2 that did not consume sufficient of the anionic salt mixture. A dose of between 1.5 and 3.0 m-equiv. of supplementary anions per cow per day, dependent on the existing anion-cation balance of the base diet, was believed to be required.