EFFICACY OF RECOMBINANT BOVINE SOMATOTROPIN IN THE TREATMENT OF FAT COW SYNDROME

Recombinant bovine somatotrophin was used in addition to conventional therapy to treat a sample of post-calving cows in a herd suffering a h igh incidence of fat cow syndrome. Somatotrophin was also given to cow s before they calved. There were no significant differences between th e treated and untreated groups in the plasma concentrations of glucose , beta-hydroxybutyrate, albumin, total protein or calcium. Significant decreases in mean plasma urea concentration were observed in the pre- calving cows seven and 10 days after treatment with somatotrophin, and a significant decrease in mean plasma urea concentration was also rec orded in post-calving cows with the fat cow syndrome. There was no evi dence that somatotrophin, with its many potent actions in cows with ac etonaemia, exacerbated clinical ketosis. The authors' subjective clini cal impression was that somatotrophin was helpful in the treatment of cows with the fat cow syndrome.