Behavioral and metabolic markers of cow morbidity in early lactation

Abstract

The high productivity of cows on modern dairy farms means that their bodies are used almost at full capacity. Even minor violations in the conditions of keeping or feeding can lead to a significant increase in the morbidity of animals. In such conditions, preventive veterinary medicine is the main task of a veterinarian. In practice, preventing the development of the disease means the veterinarian's ability to predict the occurrence of a problem, identify its cause in time and offer preventive measures. The purpose of this work was to get acquainted with behavioral and metabolic markers for predicting morbidity in cows during early lactation. According to the methodology for systematic reviews of the literature, a search and analysis of scientific articles according to the topic of the study, which were published during 2000–2023, was carried out. To search for scientific articles, the scientometric databases of the Web of Science Core Collection and PubMed were used. Analysis of the study of behavioral and metabolic markers of morbidity in cows during early lactation showed the significant relevance of the problem for dairy farming. A significant number of scientific articles are devoted to the study of this issue. A significant amount of the results of scientific research has practical significance and is used in production. The other part serves as a basis for the formation of new substantiated scientific hypotheses. This gives reason to believe that solving the problem of timely diagnosis and prevention of cow diseases during the transition period is a matter of the near future. Certain physiological and behavioral parameters (duration of chewing and feeding, time of rest and motor activity, social interaction) during the dry period can be important indicators of metabolic changes or diseases in cows at the beginning of lactation. The accuracy of forecasting with the help of such parameters increases with the increase in the duration of the study and the number of indicators used. Physiological and behavioral parameters recorded by automated milking systems can be successfully used to diagnose and predict health problems of dairy cows. Further research in this field is an important challenge for veterinary science. An increase in the time spent in a lying position, the number of periods of rest and agonistic contractions per day, a decrease in the duration of chewing, feeding and motor activity, especially in the last trimester of pregnancy, are associated with an increased likelihood of transition period diseases (ketosis, abomasum displacement, reproductive disorders, etc.). The study of behavioral and metabolic markers of morbidity in cows during early lactation proved the significant relevance of the problem for dairy farming. A significant number of scientific articles are devoted to the study of this issue. We believe that solving the problem of timely diagnosis and prevention of cow diseases during the transition period is an important task of veterinary medical science today.