• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.739-745
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• 1998

Sixteen periparturient Holstein cows calving during summer and autumn were fed to meet maintenance plus last 2 month of gestation level of TDN (MP) and 1.2 time of MP level (HMP). Dry matter intake of cows fed at HMP level during summer and autumn decreased by 1 and 2% of the offered feed in 1 week prepartum, respectively, and cows fed at MP level consumed all of the offered feed. Rectal temperatures at 08 : 30 h of cows fed at HMP level were higher than those of cows fed at MP level. Blood hematocrit and hemoglobin of cows increased during summer and were higher for cows fed at HMP level. Plasma total protein and glucose of cows during summer were higher than those during autumn, and the increased feed intake elevated plasma total protein and glucose. Plasma urea-N of cows fed at MP level was higher than that of cows fed at HMP level during autumn. The increased feed intake decreased plasma nonesterified fatty acid of cows during summer and autumn. These results suggest that blood components of periparturient cows are altered by calving season and feeding level.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.7
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• pp.1111-1115
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• 1999

In order to determine the appropriate sampling time for blood metabolites of periparturient cows, the changes of the blood composition in relation to time of day were evaluated in sixteen multiparous Holstein cows at 1 wk prepartum, 1 and 6 d postpartum. Blood samples were collected at 08:30, 10:00, 15:30 and 17:00 h in each sampling day, and the sampling times at 08:30 and 15:30 h were prior to feeding. The rectal temperature of cows increased gradually from 08:30, to 17:00 h, but blood Hct and Hb decreased constantly. Plasma non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentration at 08:30 h was two-fold higher than those at 10:00, 15:30 and 17:00 h from 1 wk prepartum to 6 d postpartum, and the value was maximum at 1 d postpartum. The highest plasma urea-N was observed at 10:00 h from 1 wk prepartum to 6 d postpartum. Plasma glucose and total protein were not affected by sampling time. The data indicated that blood samples of periparturient cows should be collected before morning feeding for the diagnosis of energy status, because plasma NEFA was the highest before morning feeding.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.171-175
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• 2014

This study was conducted to determine the efficacy of anthelmintics against gastrointestinal parasitic infestation in periparturient dairy cows and its effect on milk yield and quality. Sixty pregnant cows of 1st & 2nd parity were divided into four groups. The efficacy of anthelmintic treatment was evaluated by counting faecal egg per gram (EPG) compared with pre-treatment values. The milk yield of each cow was recorded in pre and post treatment lactations. Cows of group A were treated with Nitroxynil 10 mg/kg body weight subcutaneously 30 days before parturition, group B were treated with combination of triclabendazole and levamisole 19.5 mg/kg body weight orally at calving and group C treated with $Endex^{(R)}$ at calving and 42 days after. The mean change in EPG 14 days after treatment was significantly higher (p<0.05) in treated (79.1%) cows than control. Average milk yield of group C ($2.8{\pm}0.8$) was significantly higher (p<0.01) than group A ($2.6{\pm}0.7$). Similarly, the average milk yield in all the treated cows was significantly (p<0.01) higher in treated lactation ($2.5{\pm}0.7$) than in the previous lactation ($2.2{\pm}0.7$). The average milk yield in all treated cows was significantly (p<0.01) higher than the control cows. Although, milk yields were higher in second parity than the first, there was no significant difference (p>0.05). The milk protein percentage was significantly higher (p<0.05) in treated group than the control group. Therefore, it may be concluded that periparturient anthelmintic treatment effectively reduced the gastrointestinal parasitic load and improved milk yield.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1513-1520
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• 2009

Forty-six Holstein heifers were used in a completely randomized design and assigned to 1 of 2 treatments to evaluate the effects of 2 diets varying in ruminal fermentable carbohydrate sources, namely ground corn (GC) and rolled wheat (RW), on metabolism and performance of primiparous cows in the periparturient period. The heifers were fed diets as a total mixed ration (TMR) with similar energy and crude protein content including i) 18.57% GC, or ii) 18.57% RW from -24.13${\pm}$7.73 d relative to expected calving until calving. After calving, all animals received the same lactation diet until 28 d. Animals were group fed from the beginning of the study to -7 d relative to expected calving, fed individually from d -7 to 7 days in milk (DIM), and again group fed to 28 DIM. The pre-partum diets affected (p<0.05) dry matter intake (DMI), energy intake, energy balance (EB) and urinary pH during the last week pre-partum. There was no effect of pre-partum carbohydrate source on overall plasma concentration of glucose, nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA), $\beta$-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), albumin, triglyceride (TG), cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), insulin, and cortisol during the periparturient period. Cows fed the RW diet during the pre-partum period had greater calcium for the first week (p<0.05) and during 28 d (p = 0.08) of lactation compared with heifers fed the GC diet. Primiparous cows fed the RW diet produced greater milk protein content and yield (p<0.05). Primiparous cows fed the RW diet had lower milk urea nitrogen (MUN) and somatic cell count (SCC) than cows fed the GC diet (p<0.05). The results of this study show that feeding pre-partum diets with a rapidly fermentable source of starch but low energy content can improve animal metabolism and performance and smooth the transition of primiparous Holstein cows from gestation to lactation.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.759-769
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of stocking density on the behavior, productivity, and metabolism of periparturient Holstein cows as well as calf performance. Methods: A total of 48 periparturient cows were randomly assigned into three groups at 28 days (±3 days) before their expected calving date. The stocking densities of the groups, relative to the standard cubicle and feed bunk number, were i) 80% (13 cows), ii) 100% (16 cows), and iii) 120% (19 cows). Lying and rumination behavior was recorded using electronic data loggers and HR-Tags from d -21 ("d-" means days before calving) until the calving date, d 0. Lying time was assessed to determine the diurnal total hours spent lying per day. Rumination time was averaged in 2 hours interval periods over 24 hours during the experimental period. Results: Cows in the 80% group spent more time lying and ruminating between d -21 and d -7 and tended to ruminate more between d -14 and d 0. Calcium levels tended to be higher for cows in the 80% group, no other observable differences were found in monitored blood parameters. Moreover, 3.5% fat corrected milk and energy corrected milk yields were higher in 80% group in the first month of lactation. No other observable differences were found in the yield and composition of colostrum and milk in the first 10 months of lactation. The growth and performance of calves in the first week of life was not affected by stocking density of the dams. Conclusion: We concluded that lower stocking density may increase lying and ruminating behavior of prepartum Holstein cows. However, this did not translate into improved productivity and metabolism.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.133-138
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• 1998

Plasma and milk samples of 24 periparturient Holstein cows were collected from 1 week prepartum to 10 week postpartum to measure the effects of parity on mineral status in periparturient cows. Cows were fed mainly mixed ration with the concentrate supplement during the experimental period to meet nutrient requirement of dairy cattle for TDN, protein, and minerals, Plasma Ca of cows decrease as parity increased, but plasma Mg, K, Fe and Zn were lowest in the first lactation cows. Plasma inorganic P, Na, and alkaline phosphatase were not affected by the parity. Plasma Ca, Fe and Zn of cows decreased at parturition, but plasma Mg increase. Plasma Ca of the first, second and third and more lactation cows at parturition were 9.65, 8.96, and 8.92 mg/dl, respectively. Colostral Ca, P, Mg, Na, and Zn were highest in the first lactation cows, although colostrum yield was lower. Milk yield from 1 to 10 weeks postpartum was lowest in the first lactation cows, but mineral concentrations in milk were not affected by the parity.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.147-154
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• 2014

This review focuses on modulation of growth hormone (GH) and its downstream actions on periparturient dairy cows undergoing physiological and metabolic adaptations. During the periparturient period, cows experience a negative energy balance implicating that the feed intake does not meet the total energy demand for the onset of lactation. To regulate this metabolic condition, key hormones of somatotropic axis such as GH, IGF-I and insulin must coordinate adaptations required for the preservation of metabolic homeostasis. The hepatic GHR1A transcript and GHR protein are reduced at parturition, but recovers on postpartum. However, plasma IGF-I concentration remains low even though hepatic abundance of the GHR and IGF-I mRNA return to pre-calving value. This might be caused by alternation in IGFBPs and ALS genes, which consequently affect the plasma IGF-I stability. Plasma insulin level declines in a parallel manner with the decrease in plasma IGF-I after parturition. Increased GH stimulates the lipolytic effects and hepatic glucose synthesis to meet the energy requirement for mammary lactose synthesis, suggesting that GH antagonizes insulin-dependent glucose uptake and attenuates insulin action to decrease gluconeogenesis.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.27.1-27.15
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• 2023

Background: The relationships between the postpartum subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) occurrence and predicted bacterial functions during the periparturient period are still not clear in Holstein cows. Objectives: The present study was performed to investigate the alterations of rumen fermentation, bacterial community structure, and predicted bacterial functional pathways in Holstein cows. Methods: Holstein cows were divided into the SARA (n = 6) or non-SARA (n = 4) groups, depending on whether they developed SARA during the first 2 weeks after parturition. Reticulo-ruminal pH was measured continuously during the study period. Reticulo-ruminal fluid samples were collected 3 weeks prepartum, and 2 and 6 weeks postpartum, and blood samples were collected 3 weeks before, 0, 2, 4 and 6 weeks postpartum. Results: The postpartum decline in 7-day mean reticulo-ruminal pH was more severe and longer-lasting in the SARA group compared with the non-SARA group. Changes in predicted functional pathways were identified in the SARA group. A significant upregulation of pathway "PWY-6383" associated with Mycobacteriaceae species was identified at 3 weeks after parturition in the SARA group. Significantly identified pathways involved in denitrification (DENITRIFICATION-PWY and PWY-7084), detoxification of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (PWY1G-0), and starch degradation (PWY-622) in the SARA group were downregulated. Conclusions: The postpartum SARA occurrence is likely related to the predicted functions of rumen bacterial community rather than the alterations of rumen fermentation or fluid bacterial community structure. Therefore, our result suggests the underlying mechanisms, namely functional adaptation of bacterial community, causing postpartum SARA in Holstein cows during the periparturient period.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.2.1-2.6
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• 2021

The reproductive tracts have an intimate relationship with reproduction because there are bacterial communities that can affect reproductive health. The differences in the bacterial community of periparturient dairy cows were investigated. Vaginal and fecal samples were collected seven days before and after calving, and DNA was extracted to sequence the V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA genes. In the postpartum vaginas, operational taxonomic units, Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson were decreased, and phyla Fusobacteria and Bacteroidetes were increased. In summary, bacterial abundance can affect the periparturient biological differences in dairy cows, suggesting a susceptibility to infection within one week after calving.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.1507-1519
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• 2020

Objective: The current research was aimed to profile the transcriptomic picture of the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) associated with immunity in Chinese Holsteins supplemented orally with coated folic acid during the periparturient period. Methods: The total of 123 perinatal cows were selected for this study and divided into three groups; group A (n = 41, 240 mg/500 kg cow/d), group B (n = 40, 120 mg/500 kg cow/d) and group C (n = 42, 0 mg/cow/d) based on the quantity of folic acid fed. Three samples of PBLs were selected from each folic acid treated group (high, low, and control) and RNA sequencing method was carried out for transcriptomic analysis. Results: The analysis revealed that a higher number of genes and pathways were regulated in response to high and low folic acid supplementation compared to the controls. We reported the novel pathways tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling, antigen processing and presentation, Staphylococcus aureus infection and nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B signaling pathways) and the key genes (e.g. C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10, TNF receptor superfamily member 1A, cluster difference 4, major histocompatibility complex, class II, DQ beta, NF-kappa-B inhibitor alpha, and TNF superfamily 13) having great importance in immunity and anti-inflammation in the periparturient cows in response to coated folic acid treatment. Conclusion: Collectively, our study profiled first-time transcriptomic analysis of bovine lymphocytes and compared the involved cytokines, genes, and pathways between high vs control and low vs control. Our data suggest that the low folic acid supplementation (120 mg/500 kg) could be a good choice to boost appropriate immunity and anti-inflammation as well as might being applied to the health improvement of perinatal dairy cows.