Does monitoring for ketosis in dairy herds pay?

The objective of this article is to estimate the profitability of a monitor ing program for ketosis in dairy herds. Ketosis causes economical losses du e to decreased milk production, impaired fertility and increased risk of di splaced abomasum. Subclinical ketosis is more deleterious than clinical ket osis: The estimated average subclinical ketosis risk accounts for EUR 20 pe r cow per lactation (lactational incidence risk of 40 % x EUR 50 per case), whereas the clinical ketosis risk accounts for EUR 6,25 (5 % x EUR 125). T herefore there is more to be gained by monitoring dairy cows for subclinica l rather than for just clinical ketosis. More than 90 per cent of the subcl inical ketosis cases occur in the first and second month after calving. Dur ing this period an average of 40 per cent of all cows are affected by subcl inical ketosis once or several times. The prevalence is highest in the firs t and second week after calving. A monitoring program that tested each cow in the first and second week after calving would identify nearly 90 per cen t of all cases. An economical and highly sensitive and specific cow-side mi lk ketone tests has recently become available. A monitoring program that in cludes testing of each cow in the first and second week after calving and t reatment of positive cows that prevents losses may have a cost benefit rati o of 1 to 3. Under these conditions a monitoring program for ketosis would be profitable.