Use milk fatty acid profile to predict individual cow health and diseases

In my previous blog, I wrote an article based on a recent research from Dr. David Barbano and Dr. Tom Overton at Cornell University. The implication of that article was that 1) The level of De Novo milk fatty acids (mostly derived from ruminal acetate and butyrate) is positively correlated with bulk tank milk fat and protein contents; 2) De Novo milk fatty acid level may be a good indicator of rumen function; 3) Feeding and farm management strategies that produce an increase in synthesis of De Novo fatty acids can help increase milk fat and protein output and dairy profitability.

In a recent 2016 Large Dairy Herd Management Conference, Dr. David Barbano presented some new data that we can use De Novo fatty acid profile as a novel tool of dairy cow precision management. Here are some individual cow examples:

Figure 1: At calving, this cow had high body condition score (BCS) and a substantial amount of body fat mobilization, as shown in high blood concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA). Fortunately, she was able to handle the challenges, and her blood NEFA decreased quickly within the first few weeks of lactation, and milk De Novo fatty acid level increased gradually.

Figure 2: This cow also had BCS and high blood NEFA right after calving. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to handle the metabolic challenges, and developed displaced abomasum (DA). Note that milk De Novo fatty acid level dropped dramatically when DA occurred, and increased gradually during the recovery phase after the surgery.

Figure 3: This cow also had BCS and high NEFA right after calving. She wasn’t able to handle the metabolic challenges and developed ketosis, and her blood NEFA remained at elevated level. After propylene glycol treatment, her blood NEFA decreased and milk De Novo fatty acid level increased quickly.

Overall, it seems like that blood NEFA and De Novo milk fatty acid data are consistent with documented ketosis and displaced abomasum, and increased milk De Novo fatty acid level is associated with positive health outcome. In short, milk fatty acid profile can be a useful parameter to monitor and predict metabolic diseases and overall cow health.