Considerations in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Early Lactation Calcium Disturbances

Jessica A A McArt; Garrett R Oetzel

doi:10.1016/j.cvfa.2023.02.009

Considerations in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Early Lactation Calcium Disturbances

Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract. 2023 Jul;39(2):241-259. doi: 10.1016/j.cvfa.2023.02.009. Epub 2023 Apr 7.

Authors

Jessica A A McArt¹, Garrett R Oetzel²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. Electronic address: jmcart@cornell.edu.
² Department of Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706, USA.

PMID: 37032301
DOI: 10.1016/j.cvfa.2023.02.009

Abstract

This article reviews the history of clinical hypocalcemia and the evolving definition of subclinical hypocalcemia, targeting a concept for consideration that not all hypocalcemia is negative. With a goal of presenting bovine practitioners information to assist with individual animal hypocalcemia diagnosis and treatment as well as herd-level monitoring and prevention, we present current methods of direct calcium measurement, therapeutic interventions for clinical hypocalcemia, and postpartum calcium supplementation options and their efficacy. We encourage veterinarians to understand calcium dynamics in the immediate postpartum period and evaluate how individual cow therapy and herd prevention protocols can assist with supporting calcium regulation.

Keywords: Calcium supplementation; Dyscalcemia; Hypocalcemia; Transient.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Calcium / therapeutic use
Cattle
Cattle Diseases* / diagnosis
Cattle Diseases* / prevention & control
Female
Hypocalcemia* / diagnosis
Hypocalcemia* / prevention & control
Hypocalcemia* / veterinary
Lactation / physiology
Postpartum Period

Substances

Calcium