Prognostic Value of Plasma L‐Lactate Concentration Measured Cow‐Side with a Portable Clinical Analyzer in Holstein Dairy Cattle with Abomasal Disorders

Abstract

Background:L‐Lactate has been used as a prognostic indicator for ill humans and animals. A portable analyzer that measures l ‐lactate could help veterinarians decide to proceed with correction of a displaced abomasum. Hypotheses: The likelihood of a dairy cow with a displaced abomasum remaining in the herd can be predicted by lactate concentration and other variables.Animals:Thirty‐four healthy early‐lactation dairy cows, and 131 cows with abomasal displacements (DA) presented to Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.Methods:Plasma L‐lactate was measured using a commercial analyzer (i‐STAT). A cow had a positive outcome (PO) if she remained in the herd 30 days after surgical correction of the displaced abomasum and a negative outcome (NO) if she was culled or died in that time. A multivariable model with physical examination and clinicopathologic variables for predicting NO for cows with right‐sided abomasal displacements was constructed. Results:The median plasma l ‐lactate was 0.54 mM/L (interquartile range, 0.42–0.74) in healthy lactating Holstein cows. In cows with right‐sided displaced abomasa, median plasma l ‐lactate concentrations were higher in cows with NO (5.88 mM/L) versus PO (3.23 mM/L) ( P = .002). In a multivariable model, which identified chloride, heart rate, and l ‐lactate as the best fitting variables for cows with right‐sided displacements, the probability of NO increased as l ‐lactate increased. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Plasma l ‐lactate concentration might be a useful predictor of productive outcomes in cows with right‐sided abomasal disorders.