USE OF CORTICOSTEROIDS ALONE OR COMBINED WITH GLUCOSE TO TREAT KETOSIS IN DAIRY-COWS

Objective-To compare relative efficacy of dexamethasone and flumethaso ne alone or in combination with rapid IV infusion of glucose for treat ment of ketosis in cattle. Design-Clinical trial. Animals-127 cows wit h urine acetoacetate concentration greater than or equal to 60 mg/dl. Procedure-Cows were treated with 500 ml of 50% glucose solution, IV, a nd 40 mg of dexamethasone, IM (group 1), 40 mg of dexamethasone, IM (g roup 2), 5 mg of flumethasone (group 3), or 500 mi of 50% glucose solu tion, IV, and 5 mg of flumethasone (group 4). Treatment success was de fined as recovery after a single treatment without relapse during the same lactation. Uterine disease (retained placenta or metritis), parit y, and pretreatment plasma glucose, serum beta-hydroxybutyric acid, an d urine acetoacetate concentrations were evaluated as possible confoun ding factors affecting recovery. Results-Only uterine disease was foun d to have a significant effect on recovery. Treatments 1 and 4 were si gnificantly more efficacious than was treatment 2, but efficacy of tre atment 2 was not significantly different from that of treatment 3, Reg ardless of treatment, cows with uterine disease were less likely to ha ve a successful outcome than were cows without uterine disease. in all treatment groups, plasma glucose concentration increased and serum be ta-hydroxybutyric acid and urine acetoacetate concentrations decreased following treatment. Clinical Implications-In this study, treatment o f ketosis in dairy cattle with a corticosteriod alone was less efficac ious than treatment with glucose and a corticosteroid.