Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T04:02:37.520Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

On-farm use of a water hardness test kit to assess total blood calcium level in dairy cattle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2020

Filippo Fiore ,
Raffaella Cocco ,
Daniele Musina  and
Nicoletta Spissu
Filippo Fiore*
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100Sassari, Italy
Raffaella Cocco
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100Sassari, Italy
Daniele Musina
Affiliation:
Loc. Perdas Arbas, 08100Nuoro, Italy
Nicoletta Spissu
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100Sassari, Italy
*
Author for correspondence: Filippo Fiore, Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In this Research Communication we report the measurement of total blood calcium concentration with a water hardness test kit (WHTK) in dairy cattle and compare the results to a reference method. The study was carried out on 107 Holstein Friesian cows from three commercial dairy farms in Sardinia (Italy). Blood samples were collected ≤7 d from calving and total serum calcium concentration was determined using a biochemical analyzer and a WHTK. The relationship between the laboratory results and the WHTK results was investigated using Spearman's rank correlation test and simple linear regression was determined. Sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values, intra and inter-assay coefficient of variation were also calculated. The test values were highly correlated with the laboratory values (R2 = 0.72, P < 0.001). Sensitivity and specificity were respectively 88 and 83% for the WHTK and intra and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 7.3 and 11.3% respectively. The WHTK was identified as a potential on-farm tool for monitoring early postpartum Ca concentrations at herd level.

Keywords

Dairy cowdiagnostic kithypocalcemia
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 87 , Issue 1 , February 2020 , pp. 56 - 59
Copyright
Copyright © Hannah Dairy Research Foundation 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aktas, MS, Kaynar, O, Ozkanlar, S and Ozkanlar, Y (2010) Diagnosis of milk fever by a water hardness test kit in ewes. Israel Journal of Veterinary Medicine 65, 108–110.Google Scholar
Curtis, CR, Erb, HN, Sniffen, CJ, Smith, RD, Powers, PA, Smith, MC, White, ME, Hillman, RB and Pearson, EJ (1983) Association of parturient hypocalcemia with eight periparturient disorders in Holstein cows. Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association 183, 559–561.Google ScholarPubMed
Goff, JP (2008) The monitoring, prevention, and treatment of milk fever and subclinical hypocalcemia in dairy cows. Veterinary Journal 176, 50–57.10.1016/j.tvjl.2007.12.020Google ScholarPubMed
Goff, JP and Horst, RL (1998) Factors to concentrate on to prevent periparturient disease in the dairy cow with special emphasis on milk fever. 31st Annual Convention Proceedings of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, Spokane, WA. pp. 154–163.Google Scholar
Goff, JP, Horst, RL and Reinhardt, TA (1987) The pathophysiology and prevention of milk fever. Veterinary Medicine 82, 943.Google Scholar
Guyot, H (2015) Cow-Side test: What is useful and cost-effective in cattle practice? XX International ANEMBE congress of bovine medicine: 20 years of evolution of bovine medicine, Burgos, Spain. pp. 50–57.Google Scholar
Horst, RL, Goff, JP and Reinhardt, TA (1994) Calcium and vitamin D metabolism in the dairy cow. Journal of Dairy Science 77, 1936.Google ScholarPubMed
Hunt, E and Blackwelder, JT (2002) Disorders of Ca metabolism. In Smith, BP (ed.), Large Animal Internal Medicine. California: Mosby copyright, pp. 1248–1252.Google Scholar
Leno, BM, Martens, EM, Felippe, MJB, Zanzalari, KP, Lawrence, JC and Overton, TR (2017) Relationship between methods for measurement of serum electrolytes and the relationship between ionized and total calcium and neutrophil oxidative burst activity in early postpartum dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 100, 9285–9293.Google ScholarPubMed
Ley, WD, Bowen, JM, Purswell, BJ, lrby, M and Greive-Crandell, K (1993) The sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of measuring calcium carbonate in mares’ prepartum mammary secretions. Theriogenology 40, 189–l98.10.1016/0093-691X(93)90352-6Google ScholarPubMed
Lincoln, SD and Lane, VM (1990) Serum ionized calcium concentration in clinically normal dairy cattle, and changes associated with calcium abnormalities. Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association 197, 1471–1474.Google ScholarPubMed
Martinez, N, Risco, CA, Lima, FS, Bisinotto, RS, Greco, LS, Ribeiro, ES, Maunsell, F, Galvao, K and Santos, JE (2012) Evaluation of peripartal calcium status, energetic profile, and neutrophil function in dairy cows at low or high risk of developing uterine disease. Journal of Dairy Science 95, 7158–7172.Google ScholarPubMed
Matsas, DJ, Warnick, LD, Mechor, GD, Seib, LN, Fatone, S, White, ME and Guard, CL (1999) Use of a water hardness test kit to measure serum calcium concentration in cattle. Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association 214, 826–828.Google Scholar
McArt, JA and Oetzel, GR (2015) A stochastic estimate of the economic impact of oral calcium supplementation in postparturient dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 98, 7408–7418.10.3168/jds.2015-9479Google ScholarPubMed
Neves, RC, Stokol, T, Bach, KD and McArt, JAA (2018) Method comparison and validation of a prototype device for measurement of ionized calcium concentrations cow-side against a point-of-care instrument and a benchtop blood-gas analyzer reference method. Journal of Dairy Science 101, 1334–1343.Google Scholar
Oetzel, G (2011) Diseases of dairy animals: non-infectious diseases: milk fever. In Fuquay, JW, Fox, PF and McSweeney, PLH (eds), Encyclopedia of Dairy Sciences, 2nd Edn.San Diego: Elsevier, pp. 239–245.Google Scholar
Oetzel, G and Miller, BE (2012) Effect of oral calcium bolus supplementation on early lactation health and milk yield in commercial dairy herds. Journal of Dairy Science 95, 7051–7065.Google ScholarPubMed
Radostits, OM, Gay, CC, Hinchcliff, KW and Constable, PD (2007) Parturient paresis (milk fever). In Radostits, OM, Gay, CC, Hinchcliff, KW and Constable, PD (eds), Veterinary Medicine, 10th Ed.London: Elsevier Saunders, pp. 1626–1644.Google Scholar
Reinhardt, TA, Lippolis, JD, McCluskey, BJ, Goff, JP and Horst, RL (2011) Prevalence of subclinical hypocalcemia in dairy herds. Veterinary Journal 188, 122–124.10.1016/j.tvjl.2010.03.025Google ScholarPubMed
Roeder, BL and Clark, FD (1995) Determination of serum ionized calcium concentration in dairy cattle after frozen anaerobic storage. Veterinary Clinical Pathology 24, 44–48.Google ScholarPubMed
Sweeney, B, Martens, E, Felippe, M and Overton, T (2014) Impacts and evaluation of subclinical hypocalcemia in dairy cattle. Proceedings of Cornell Nutrition Conference for Feed Manufacturers, Ithaca, NY.Google Scholar