Table 2.
Inputs used to calculate the cost of 1 case of clinical ketosis (defined as a case of ketosis manifested with clinical signs regardless of serum BHBA concentrations)
| Item | Value | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Incidence of clinical ketosis (%) | 9.6 | (3) |
| 300 g of propylene glycol for 4 days ($) | 12 | (26) |
| Labour wages ($)/hour | 15 | (27) |
| Number of cows drenched/hour | 15 | |
| Death due to clinical ketosis (%) | 1.3 | (28) |
| Culling due to clinical ketosis (%) | 5 | (28) |
| Hourly veterinary fee ($) | 160 | |
| Time (hours) to diagnose and treat clinical ketosis by a veterinarian | 0.3 | |
| Cases of clinical ketosis examined and treated by veterinarians (%) | 10 | (30) |
| Milk production loss (kg) due to clinical ketosis | 255 | (31) |
| Average milk price in Canada ($/L) | 0.81 | (22) |
| Dairy efficiencya | 2.3 | |
| Cost ($) of 1 kg of TMR (dry matter basis) to produce 1 L of milk | 0.3 | (20) |
| Cost of pregnant replacement heifer ($) | 2500 | (23) |
| Cull cow price ($) | 1680 | (23) |
| Average value of a cow in a herd ($) | 2100 | (20) |
| Cost of 1 day open beyond 100 days ($) | 3.0 | (21) |
| Increase in days open for cows with clinical ketosis | 10 | (30) |
| Risk of aspiration pneumonia (%) with drenching | 0.003 | J.P. Goff, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, personal communication, 2015 |
| Risk of immediate death after aspiration pneumonia (%) | 0.0024 | (32) |
| Risk of survival after aspiration pneumonia (%) | 0.0009 | (32) |
| Risk of culling after survival and treatment (%) | 0.0003 | (32) |
a
Milk yield (kg) produced as a result of a cow consuming one additional kg of dry matter above maintenance requirements (24); this calculation accounts only for the concentration energy required to produce marginal milk after considering that NEL of 0.75 Mcal/kg of 4% milk and 1.73 Mcal/kg of feed in dry matter basis (25).