Prevalence of subclinical ketosis in Chilika buffaloes and associated hematobiochemical and urinary changes

The present study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of subclinical ketosis and the associated risk factors in 526 lactating Chilika buffaloes, maintained in 29 herds, belonging to marginal or small farmers in 16 villages, in three Chilika Lake-adjoining districts, viz. Puri, Khordha, and Ganjam, in the state of Odisha, India. Rother’s test on urine samples from 526 lactating Chilika buffaloes diagnosed subclinical ketosis in 41 animals (7.79%). The blood, milk, and urine sampling were done from 20 lactating buffaloes, consisting of 10 apparently healthy buffaloes, and another ten with subclinical ketosis. The serum samples were analyzed for biochemical parameters, namely triglyceride, cholesterol, protein, albumin, globulin, activities of liver-specific enzymes, and milk fat% and SNF%. The urine samples from these buffaloes were tested using multi-diagnostic urinalysis strip. The highest prevalence of subclinical ketosis was observed in 4th parity (15.38%), followed by 3rd parity (11.20%), and in buffaloes yielding ≥3 kg of milk/ day (17.07%). The buffaloes with subclinical ketosis had severe hypoglycaemia (38.5 ±0.598 mg/dL vs. 66.721 ±1.923 mg/dL). There was an increase in the mean serum triglycerides (mg/dl) level, activity of Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), and Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT). The mean level of serum calcium (4.55±0.01 vs. 9.88±0.05), magnesium (1.35±0.01 vs 3.9±0.31), and phosphorus (2.35±0.01 vs 5.08±0.01) was significantly lower in buffaloes with subclinical ketosis. The subclinical ketosis was more common during peak production in Chilika buffaloes, associated with hepatic dysfunction.