Ketosis is a constant and persistent metabolic disorder in post-calving cows on dairy farms. Due to the need to produce more milk, cows cannot consume enough energy to maintain their performance, which leads to a negative energy balance. That’s when the cows start mobilizing fat to try to fix the energy problem. The problem is that this culminates in a higher load of ketone bodies, which might lead to ketosis. In this episode, Dr. Barry Bradfor talks with Dr. Andres Contreras Bravo about cows’ fat mobilization and ketosis challenges in dairy production. We also discuss some of the technologies that can help control or prevent ketosis from happening.
What you’ll learn:
- Fat mobilization in cows
- Implications of excessive fat to the cow
- Ketosis in dairy cows
- Challenges in monitoring ketones
- Technologies to predict ketone concentrations in the milk
- How to prevent ketosis in your dairy cow
- Key points on cows’ fat mobilization
Meet the guest: Dr. Andres Contreras Bravo grew up in Colombia, where he earned his DVM, in 2001, at Universidad Nacional de Colombia. After that, he came to the US to pursue a Master’s Degree in Mastitis and Milk Quality, at Michigan State University, in 2008. He then earned a PhD in Nutritional Immunology at the same university, in 2010. Dr. Bravo is currently a Professor at Michigan State University and his main research interests are lipid mobilization and lipid mediator biosynthesis in periparturient dairy cows.
