Effects of prepartum dietary cation-anion difference on aspects of peripartum mineral and energy metabolism and performance of multiparous Holstein cows

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of decreasing dietary cation-anion difference [DCAD; (Na⁺ + K⁺) ? (Cl^? + S^2?)] of the prepartum diet on aspects of mineral metabolism, energy metabolism, and performance of peripartum dairy cows. Multiparous Holstein cows (n = 89) were enrolled between 38 and 31 d before expected parturition and randomized to treatments in a completely randomized design (restricted to balance for previous 305-d mature equivalent milk production, parity, and body condition score) at 24 d before expected parturition. Treatments consisted of a low-K ration without anion supplementation [CON; n = 30, DCAD = +18.3 mEq/100 g of dry matter (DM)]; partial anion supplementation to a low-K ration (MED; n = 30, DCAD = +5.9 mEq/100 g of DM); and anion supplementation to a low-K ration to reach a targeted average urine pH between 5.5 and 6.0 (LOW; n = 29, DCAD = ?7.4 mEq/100 g of DM). Cows were fed a common postpartum diet and data collected through 63 d in milk. Urine pH (CON = 8.22, MED = 7.89, and LOW = 5.96) was affected quadratically by decreasing prepartum DCAD. A linear relationship between urine pH and urine Ca:creatinine ratio was observed (r = ?0.81). Plasma Ca concentrations in the postpartum period (d 0 to 14; CON = 2.16, MED = 2.19, and LOW = 2.27 mmol/L) were increased linearly with decreasing prepartum DCAD. A treatment by parity (second vs. third and greater) interaction for postpartum plasma Ca concentration suggested that older cows had the greatest response to the low DCAD diet and older cows fed LOW had decreased prevalence of hypocalcemia after calving. A quadratic effect of decreasing DCAD on prepartum DMI was observed (CON = 13.6, MED = 14.0, and LOW = 13.2 kg/d). Milk production in the first 3 wk postpartum was increased linearly with decreasing DCAD (CON = 40.8, MED = 42.4, and LOW = 43.9 kg/d) and DMI in this period also tended to linearly increase (CON = 20.2, MED = 20.9, and LOW = 21.3 kg/d). Overall, effects on intake and milk yield analyzed over wk 1 to 9 postpartum were not significant. This study demonstrates that feeding lower DCAD diets prepartum improves plasma Ca status in the immediate postpartum period and results in increased DMI and milk production in the 3 wk after parturition. Compared with no anion supplementation or lower levels of anion supplementation, greater improvements were observed with the lower DCAD feeding strategy, in which an average urine pH of 5.5 to 6.0 was targeted.     

Interaction of 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan and negative dietary cation-anion difference on calcium homeostasis in multiparous peripartum dairy cows

Hypocalcemia affects almost 50% of all dairy cows. Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that infusions of the serotonin precursor 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan (5-HTP) increase circulating calcium concentrations in the Holstein transition cow. It is unknown whether feeding a negative dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) diet alters the relationship between 5-HTP and hypocalcemia. The main objective of this study was to determine whether feeding a negative DCAD (?DCAD) diet before calving in conjunction with 5-HTP treatment could further diminish the magnitude of hypocalcemia at the time of calving. We used a randomized complete block design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Thirty-one multiparous Holstein cows were fed either a positive (+13 mEq/100 g) or negative (?13 mEq/100 g) DCAD diet 21 d before parturition and were intravenously infused daily with saline or 5-HTP (1 mg/kg) starting 7 d before the estimated date of parturition. Cows were blocked by parity and were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatment groups: positive DCAD plus saline, positive DCAD plus 5-HTP, negative DCAD plus saline, and negative DCAD plus 5-HTP, resulting in n = 8 per group. Total calcium (tCa), ionized calcium (iCa), and feed intake were recorded. The iCa was elevated prepartum in the ?DCAD/5-HTP group compared with the other treatment groups as well as on d 0 and 1 postpartum. Although differences in tCa were not significant across the pre- or postpartum periods, tCa was numerically higher on d 0 and significantly higher on d 1 in ?DCAD/5-HTP cows compared with all other groups. Prepartum the ?DCAD/5-HTP treatment group ate less than the other treatment groups; however, postpartum dry matter intake differences were not significant. These findings demonstrate that feeding a ?DCAD diet in conjunction with 5-HTP prepartum can increase postpartum circulating iCa concentrations and therefore diminish the magnitude of hypocalcemia at the time of parturition.     

Effects of prepartum dietary cation-anion difference and source of vitamin D in dairy cows: Lactation performance and energy metabolism

The objectives of this experiment were to evaluate the effects of feeding diets with 2 dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) levels and supplemented with either cholecalciferol (CH) or calcidiol (CA) during late gestation on lactation performance and energetic metabolism in dairy cows. The hypothesis was that combining a prepartum acidogenic diet with calcidiol supplementation would benefit peripartum Ca metabolism and, thus, improve energy metabolism and lactation performance compared with cows fed an alkalogenic diet or cholecalciferol. Holstein cows at 252 d of gestation were blocked by parity (28 nulliparous and 51 parous cows) and milk yield within parous cows, and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments arranged as a 2 × 2 factorial, with 2 levels of DCAD (positive, +130, and negative, ?130 mEq/kg) and 2 sources of vitamin D, CH or CA, fed at 3 mg per 11 kg of diet dry matter (DM). The resulting treatment combinations were positive DCAD with CH (PCH), positive DCAD with CA (PCA), negative DCAD with CH (NCH), or negative DCAD with CA (NCA), which were fed for the last 21 d of gestation. After calving, cows were fed the same lactation diet. Body weight and body condition were evaluated prepartum and for the first 49 d postpartum. Blood was sampled thrice weekly prepartum, and on d 0, 1, 2, 3, and every 3 d thereafter until 30 d postpartum for quantification of hormones and metabolites. Lactation performance was evaluated for the first 49 d postpartum. Feeding a diet with negative DCAD reduced DM intake in parous cows by 2.1 kg/d, but no effect was observed in nulliparous cows. The negative DCAD reduced concentrations of glucose (positive = 4.05 vs. negative = 3.95 mM), insulin (positive = 0.57 vs. negative = 0.45 ng/mL), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (positive = 110 vs. negative = 95 ng/mL) prepartum. Treatments did not affect DM intake postpartum, but CA-supplemented cows tended to produce more colostrum (PCH = 5.86, PCA = 7.68 NCH = 6.21, NCA = 7.96 ± 1.06 kg) and produced more fat-corrected milk (PCH = 37.0, PCA = 40.1 NCH = 37.5, NCA = 41.9 ± 1.8 kg) and milk components compared with CH-supplemented cows. Feeding the negative DCAD numerically increased yield of fat-corrected milk by 1.0 kg/d in both nulliparous and 1.4 kg/d in parous cows. Minor differences were observed in postpartum concentrations of hormones and metabolites linked to energy metabolism among treatments. Results from this experiment indicate that replacing CH with CA supplemented at 3 mg/d during the prepartum period improved postpartum lactation performance in dairy cows.     

Effects of level of dietary cation-anion difference and duration of prepartum feeding on performance and metabolism of dairy cows

The objectives were to evaluate the effects of feeding diets with 2 levels of negative dietary cation-anion differences (DCAD) during the last 42 or 21 d of gestation on performance and metabolism in dairy cows. The hypothesis was that extending feeding from 21 to 42 d and reducing the DCAD from ?70 to ?180 mEq/kg of dry matter (DM) would not be detrimental to performance. Holstein cows at 230 d of gestation were blocked by parity prepartum (48 entering their second lactation and 66 entering their third or greater lactation) and 305-d milk yield, and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments arranged as a 2 × 2 factorial. The 2 levels of DCAD, ?70 or ?180 mEq/kg of DM, and 2 feeding durations, the last 21 d (short) or the last 42 d (long) prepartum resulted in 4 treatments, short ?70 (n = 29), short ?180 (n = 29), long ?70 (n = 28) and long ?180 (n = 28). Cows in the short treatments were fed a diet with DCAD of +110 mEq/kg of DM from ?42 to ?22 d relative to calving. After calving, cows were fed the same diet and production and disease incidence were evaluated for 42 d in milk, whereas reproduction and survival was evaluated for 305 d in milk. Blood was sampled pre- and postpartum for quantification of metabolites and minerals. Reducing the DCAD linearly decreased prepartum DM intake between ?42 and ?22 d relative to calving (+110 mEq/kg of DM = 11.5 vs. ?70 mEq/kg of DM = 10.7 vs. ?180 mEq/kg of DM = 10.2 ± 0.4), and a more acidogenic diet in the last 21 d of the dry period reduced intake by 1.1 kg/d (?70 mEq/kg of DM = 10.8 vs. ?180 mEq/kg of DM = 9.7 ± 0.5 kg/d). Cows fed the ?180 mEq/kg of DM diet had increased concentrations of ionized Ca in blood on the day of calving (?70 mEq/kg of DM = 1.063 vs. ?180 mEq/kg of DM = 1.128 ± 0.020 mM). Extending the duration of feeding the diets with negative DCAD from 21 to 42 d reduced gestation length by 2 d (short = 277.2 vs. long = 275.3 d), milk yield by 2.5 kg/d (short = 40.4 vs. long = 37.9 ± 1.0 kg/d) and tended to increase days open because of reduced pregnancy per artificial insemination (short = 35.0 vs. long = 22.6%). Results suggest that increasing the duration of feeding diets with negative DCAD from 21 to 42 d prepartum might influence milk yield and reproduction of cows in the subsequent lactation, although yields of 3.5% fat- and energy-corrected milk did not differ with treatments. Reducing the DCAD from ?70 to ?180 mEq/kg of DM induced a more severe metabolic acidosis, increased ionized Ca concentrations prepartum and on the day of calving, and decreased colostrum yield in the first milking, but had no effects on performance in the subsequent lactation. Collectively, these data suggest that extending the feeding of an acidogenic diet beyond 21 d is unnecessary and might be detrimental to dairy cows, and a reduction in the DCAD from ?70 to ?180 mEq/kg of DM is not needed.     

Timothy hay with a low dietary cation-anion difference improves calcium homeostasis in periparturient Holstein cows

The current study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of feeding timothy (Phleum pratense L.) hay differing in dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) on the capability of cows to maintain calcium homeostasis around parturition. We hypothesized that feeding low-DCAD timothy hay during the prepartum period would induce a mild metabolic acidosis prepartum and improve calcium homeostasis postpartum with no effect on dry matter intake. Forty-one dry pregnant Holstein cows entering their second lactation or greater were used in a randomized complete block design. Timothy hay was obtained from an established timothy stand under a pivot irrigation system. Low-DCAD timothy hay was produced by fertilizing the area between the second and third pivot towers at a rate of 224 kg of CaCl₂/ha, and control timothy hay (high DCAD) was grown on the area between the fourth and fifth pivot towers of the same field. The chloride concentration was 1.07 and 0.15% on a dry matter (DM) basis, and the DCAD was 1.2 and 21.6 mEq/100 g of DM for the low- and high-DCAD timothy hay, respectively. Experimental diets, containing timothy hay at 63% of dietary DM, were fed ad libitum starting 30 d before the expected calving date. The DCAD values were 1.6 vs. 14.5 mEq/100 g of DM for the low- and high-DCAD timothy-based diets, respectively. At the beginning of the study, urine pH and blood bicarbonate concentration averaged 8.22 ± 0.06 and 28.5 ± 0.3 mM, respectively. The low-DCAD timothy diet decreased urine pH compared with the high-DCAD timothy diet on d 21 (7.75 vs. 8.31), d 14 (7.69 vs. 8.22), and d 7 (7.50 vs. 8.19) before calving, and it also decreased the prepartum blood bicarbonate concentration by 2 mM. In addition, cows fed the low-DCAD timothy diet had greater blood ionized calcium concentration prepartum (1.22 vs. 1.19 mM), greater blood ionized calcium concentration at 0 and 8 h after calving, and similar prepartum dry matter intake. These results indicate that timothy hay differing in DCAD affects the acid-base balance of periparturient dairy cows, and that low-DCAD timothy hay improves calcium homeostasis postpartum with no negative effect on dry matter intake.     

Hay to reduce dietary cation-anion difference for dry dairy cows

Timothy grass has a lower dietary cation-anion difference [DCAD = (Na + K) - (Cl + S)] than other cool-season grass species. Growing timothy on low-K soils and fertilizing it with CaCl₂ could further decrease its DCAD. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding low-DCAD timothy hay on dry dairy cows. Six nonpregnant and nonlactating cows were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square. Treatments were as follows: 1) control diet (control; DCAD = 296 mEq/kg of dry matter); 2) low-DCAD diet based on low-DCAD timothy hay (L-HAY; DCAD = - 24 mEq/kg of dry matter); and 3) low-DCAD diet using HCl (L-HCl; DCAD = - 19 mEq/kg of dry matter). Decreasing DCAD with L-HAY had no effect on dry matter intake (11.8 kg/d) or dry matter digestibility (71.5%). Urine pH decreased from 8.21 to 5.89 when L-HAY was fed instead of the control. Blood parameters that decreased with L-HAY were base excess (− 0.4 vs. 3.8 mM) and HCO₃⁻ (23 vs. 27 mM), and blood parameters that increased were Ca²⁺ (5.3 vs. 5.1 mg/dL), Cl⁻ (30.5 vs. 29.5 mg/dL), and Na⁺ (60.8 vs. 60.1 mg/dL). Compared with the control, L-HAY resulted in more Ca in urine (13.4 vs. 1.2 g/d). Comparing L-HAY with L-HCl, cow dry matter intake tended to be higher (11.5 vs. 9.8 kg/d), and blood pH was higher (7.37 vs. 7.31). Urine pH; total dry matter; Ca, K, P, and Mg apparent absorption; and Ca, K, Na, Cl, S, P, and Mg apparent retention were similar. Absorption as a percentage of intake of Na and Cl was lower for L-HAY as compared with L-HCl. In an EDTA-challenge test, cows fed L-HAY regained their initial level of blood Ca²⁺ twice as quickly as the control treatment (339 vs. 708 min); there were no differences between L-HAY and L-HCl. This experiment confirms that feeding low-DCAD hay is an effective means of decreasing the DCAD of rations and obtaining a metabolic response in dry dairy cows.     

Effects of dietary cation-anion difference and potassium to sodium ratio on lactating dairy cows in hot weather

Forty-two lactating Holstein cows 188 ± 59 d in milk were used in an 8-wk randomized complete block trial with a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. The objective was to determine the effects of high dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) and K:Na ratio on milk yield and composition and blood acid-base chemistry. Treatments included DCAD concentrations of 45 or 60 mEq (Na + K −Cl)/100 g of feed dry matter and K:Na ratios of 2:1, 3:1, or 4:1. Mean DCAD values were later determined to be 41 and 58. Dry matter intake was similar across treatments. Yield of milk and energy corrected milk were lower for the 3:1 K:Na ratio compared with 2:1 and 4:1 ratios. Blood urea N was lower for the highest DCAD, suggesting that DCAD possibly reduced protein degradation or altered protein metabolism and retention. Mean temperature-humidity index was 75.6 for the duration of the trial, exceeding the critical value of 72 for all weeks during the treatment period. Cows maintained relatively normal body temperature with mean a.m. and p.m. body temperature of 38.5 and 38.7°C, respectively. These body temperatures suggest that cows were not subject to extreme heat stress due to good environmental control. Results of this trial indicate that the greatest effect on milk yield occurs when either Na or K is primarily used to increase DCAD, with the lowest yield of energy-corrected milk at a 3:1 K:Na ratio (27.1 kg/d) compared with ratios of 2:1 (29.3 kg/d) and 4:1 (28.7 kg/d). Results also suggest that greater DCAD improves ruminal N metabolism or N utilization may be more efficient with a high DCAD.     

Effects of dietary cation-anion difference on ruminal metabolism and blood acid-base regulation in dairy cows receiving 2 contrasting levels of concentrate in diets

Dietary cation-anion difference [DCAD = Na + K − Cl in mEq/kg of dry matter (DM)] increases DM intake (DMI) in cows fed diets containing rapidly degraded starch. Increased DMI of diets containing rapidly degraded starch could potentially exacerbate subacute acidosis. The objective of this study was to determine metabolic effects of increasing DCAD in low and high starch diets. Six cannulated Holstein cows were blocked into 2 groups of 3 cows and assigned to two 3 × 3 Latin squares in a split-plot design. Each group received a level of concentrate at either 20 or 40% on a DM basis. The diet containing 20% concentrate supplied 4% rapidly degraded starch, whereas the diet containing 40% concentrate supplied 22% rapidly degraded starch. Diets in each square were formulated to provide a DCAD of 0, 150, or 300 mEq/kg of DM. The 3 values were obtained by manipulating Na and Cl contents. Increasing the proportion of rapidly degraded starch decreased rumen pH and the acetate to propionate ratio but did not affect digestibility, blood acid-base status, pH of urine, and strong ion excretion. Increasing DCAD increased DMI, the effect being higher when the cows were fed the 40% concentrate diet. Increasing DCAD did not affect mean ruminal pH, molar proportion of VFA, and fiber digestibility; reduced the range of rumen pH decrease during the meal in cows fed the 40% concentrate diet; and strongly increased blood pH and blood HCO₃ concentration. Increasing DCAD increased urine pH and modified the urinary excretion of minerals. With low DCAD, 70% of Cl and only 16% of Na were excreted in urine whereas with high DCAD, 33% of Cl and 53% of Na were excreted. These results suggest that DMI of cows fed diets rich in rapidly degraded starch and low DCAD was limited to maintain the blood pH in a physiological range. Increasing DCAD allowed the cows to increase DMI because of the ability of positive DCAD to maintain blood acid-base status. A localized rumen buffering effect could not be excluded and could be linked with a higher amount of HCO₃ recycled into the rumen. Main mechanisms involved in regulating blood pH might be renal excretion of protons and strong ions and renal HCO₃ reabsorption.     

Effects of prepartum dietary cation-anion difference intake on production and health of dairy cows: A meta-analysis

Prepartum diets influence cow performance for weeks to months postpartum. This observation leads to questions about milk yield and physiological and health responses to diets with negative dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD). Further, responses to increased intake of a diet with lower DCAD (Eq/d) have not been explored using meta-analysis. Our objectives were to explore the effects of prepartum DCAD intake on metabolism and production and health as well as the potential for differences in intake of other macrominerals to influence responses to differences in DCAD intake using classical meta-analytical methods. Not all treated groups were fed a diet with negative DCAD, and the effect studied is that of reducing the DCAD. We hypothesized that reducing DCAD intake would improve Ca metabolism and postpartum performance. We used a maximum of 58 comparisons from 31 experiments and a total of 1,571 cows. Intakes of DCAD were 2.28 Eq/d and ?0.64 Eq/d for the control, higher DCAD and treated, lower DCAD groups, respectively. Diets with lower DCAD reduced urine pH [standardized mean difference (SMD) = 1.90 and weighted mean difference (WMD) ?1.23 pH]. Intake of lower DCAD decreased prepartum DMI (SMD = 0.23; WMD = 0.29 kg/d), increased postpartum DMI (SMD = 0.40; WMD = 0.63 kg/d), and increased milk yield (SMD = 0.172). However, we found an interaction with parity; diets with lower DCAD increased milk yield in parous cows (SMD = 0.29; WMD = 1.1 kg/d) but resulted in numerically lower milk yield in nulliparous cows (SMD = ?0.20; WMD = 1.28 kg/d) compared with controls. The FCM yield increased with treatment (SMD = 0.12; WMD = 0.56 kg/d); however, yield of treated cows tended to be greater in parous cows but smaller for nulliparous cows compared with controls. Milk fat percentage, milk fat yield, and milk protein percentages were not affected by treatment, although milk protein yield tended to increase in cows fed the lower DCAD diet (SMD = 0.21; WMD = 0.02 kg/d). Treatment increased blood Ca (SMD = 0.53; WMD = 0.13 mM) and P (SMD = 0.40; WMD = 0.13 mM) on the day of calving and Ca postpartum (SMD = 0.36; WMD = 0.06 mM). Treated cows had smaller concentration of blood BHB before calving than controls (SMD = ?0.39; WMD = ?0.04 mM). Reducing DCAD in cows resulted in decreased risks of clinical hypocalcemia (risk ratio = 0.60) and retained placenta (risk ratio = 0.59), and reduced the odds of metritis (odds ratio = 0.46) and overall disease (OR = 0.61). We observed no effect on risk of abomasal displacement or mastitis and no effect of differences between treated and control cows in Ca intake (g/d) on the outcomes evaluated. A positive role for increased Mg intake between groups for increased milk fat yield and in reducing the risk of retained placenta was identified. Diets with lower DCAD improved performance of parous dairy cows, and our findings suggest a need for more studies on the effects of a lower DCAD on nulliparous transition cows.     

Associations between bone and energy metabolism in cows fed diets differing in level of dietary cation-anion difference and supplemented with cholecalciferol or calcidiol

Bone-derived hormones play an important role in metabolism. This study examined the hypothesis that interactions between bone and energy metabolism, particularly those involving osteocalcin, are present in dairy cattle and have feedback mechanisms over time. Associations between metabolites in blood were examined in 32 Holstein cows blocked by parity and milk yield and randomly allocated to diets containing either 0.27 mg/kg dry matter (DM) calcidiol or cholecalciferol for an anticipated intake of 3 mg/d (120,000 IU/d) at 11 kg of DM, and positive (+130 mEq/kg DM) or negative (?130 mEq/kg DM) dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) from 252 d of gestation to calving. Blood was sampled every 3 d, from 9 d prepartum to 30 d postpartum, and plasma concentrations of vitamin D₃, 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃, adiponectin, C-telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTX1), glucose, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), insulin, undercarboxylated osteocalcin (uOC), and carboxylated osteocalcin (cOC) were determined. Feeding calcidiol compared with cholecalciferol increased plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ pre- (264.2 ± 8.0 vs. 61.3 ± 8.0 ng/mL) and postpartum (170.8 ± 6.2 vs. 51.3 ± 6.2 ng/mL) but decreased concentrations of vitamin D₃ pre- (1.2 ± 0.6 vs. 14.5 ± 0.6 ng/mL) and postpartum (1.9 ± 0.4 vs. 3.2 ± 0.6 ng/mL). Prepartum, cows fed the negative DCAD diet had reduced concentrations of vitamin D₃ and glucose compared with cows fed a positive DCAD. The combination of negative DCAD and cholecalciferol reduced IGF1 concentrations prepartum. The DCAD treatment had no effect on postpartum concentrations of metabolites. Nulliparous cows had increased concentrations of OC, CTX1, IGF1, glucose, and insulin compared with parous cows. Time series analysis identified associations between metabolites on the same day and over 3-d lags up to ±9 d that suggest feedback between 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ and vitamin D₃ in the negative lags, indicating that 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ may exert feedback on vitamin D₃ but not vice versa. We found evidence of a feedback mechanism between vitamin D₃ and IGF1, with positive effect size (ES) on the same day and 3 d later, and negative ES 9 d later, that was more evident in cholecalciferol-fed cows. This suggests an important role of IGF1 in integrating bone metabolism with energy and protein metabolic pathways. Evidence of feedback was found between uOC and particularly cOC with IGF1, with positive ES on the same day but negative ES 6 d before and 6 d after. An association between uOC or cOC and IGF1 has not been previously identified in cattle and suggests that both uOC and cOC may have marked biological activity. Associations between OC and insulin identified in mice were not observed herein, although associations between OC and glucose were similar to those between IGF1 and glucose, supporting associations between glucose, OC, and IGF1. We provide further statistical evidence of crosstalk between vitamin D compounds, bone hormones, and energy metabolism in cattle. In particular, associations between uOC or cOC and IGF1 may provide links between prepartum diets and observations of prolonged increases in milk production and allow better control of peripartum metabolism.     

Effects of maternal level of dietary cation-anion difference fed to prepartum nulliparous cows on offspring acid-base balance,metabolism, and growth

The objectives were to determine the effects of dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) fed to pregnant cows during the last 22 d of gestation on offspring acid-base balance, metabolism, growth, and health preweaning. A total of 132 nulliparous Holstein cows were enrolled at 250 (248 to 253) d of gestation in a randomized block design. Cows were blocked by genomic merit of energy-corrected milk yield and assigned randomly to diets varying in DCAD: +200 (P200, n = 43), ?50 (N50, n = 45), or ?150 (N150, n = 44) mEq/kg of dry matter (DM). Newborn calves (15 males and 28 females in P200, 22 males and 23 females in N50, and 18 males and 26 females in N150) were followed for the first 7 or 56 d of age if males or females, respectively. Measures of acid-base balance and concentrations of minerals in blood were measured in all calves on d 0 before colostrum feeding, and on d 1, 3, and 7. Each calf was fed 3.78 L of colostrum from the respective treatment, and apparent efficiency of IgG absorption was determined. All calves were weighed at birth, and females were weighed again at 21, 42, and 56 d of age. Concentrations in serum of total calcium (tCa), total magnesium (tMg), and total phosphorus (tP) were measured up to 56 d of age; intakes of milk and starter grain DM were measured daily from 21 to 56 d of age; and incidence of disease was recorded for the first 56 d of age in females. Treatment did not affect acid-base balance measured in all calves. Calves were born with metabolic and respiratory acidosis, which reversed by 1 d of age. In the first 24 h after birth, blood pH increased from 7.215 to 7.421 and bicarbonate from 26.2 to 31.7 mM, whereas partial pressure of CO₂ decreased from 64.1 to 48.7 mm of Hg in all treatments. Maternal DCAD did not affect colostrum IgG content fed to calves (P200 = 95.0 vs. N50 = 91.0 vs. N150 = 97.1 ± 4.1 g/L) or apparent efficiency of IgG absorption (P200 = 33.1 vs. N50 = 33.1 vs. N150 = 34.2 ± 1.9%). Males were born heavier than females, but maternal DCAD did not affect birth weight of all calves (P200 = 37.7 vs. N50 = 37.3 vs. N150 = 37.8 ± 0.7 kg) or daily weight gain in females in the first 56 d of life (P200 = 0.80 vs. N50 = 0.81 vs. N150 = 0.77 ± 0.03 kg/d). Treatment did not affect intake of milk (P200 = 1.11 vs. N50 = 1.04 vs. N150 = 1.19 ± 0.06 kg/d) or starter grain DM (P200 = 0.27 vs. N50 = 0.27 vs. N150 = 0.21 ± 0.06 kg/d), or measures of feed efficiency. Treatment did not affect concentrations of minerals in serum, morbidity, or age at morbidity. Manipulating the DCAD of pregnant nulliparous dams during late gestation did not affect offspring performance in the first 2 mo of age.     

Timothy silage with low dietary cation-anion difference fed to nonlactating cows

Decreasing the dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) by using anion sources before calving reduces hypocalcemia in cows at calving. Reduced DCAD from CaCl₂-fertilized timothy hay achieves similar results, but the effects of feeding low-DCAD forage as silage have not been determined. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of low-DCAD timothy silage on dry cows. Six nonlactating and nonpregnant Holstein cows were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square. Treatments were 1) control diet (DCAD = 232 mEq/kg of dry matter, DM); 2) low-DCAD diet using a low-DCAD timothy silage (LDTS; DCAD = −21 mEq/kg of DM); and 3) low-DCAD diet using a fermentation by-product (LDBP; DCAD = −32 mEq/kg of DM). Differences between dietary treatments were considered statistically significant at P ≤ 0.05 and tendencies were noted when 0.05 < P < 0.10. Compared with the control, feeding LDTS tended to decrease DM intake (10.6 vs. 12.5 kg/d) and decreased urinary pH (6.15 vs. 8.18) as well as apparent digestibility of DM (67 vs. 69%). Blood pH (7.37 vs. 7.42), HCO₃⁻ (25.3 vs. 27.5 mM), and base excess (0.4 vs. 3.1 mM) were decreased, and blood Cl⁻ (29.6 vs. 29.1 mg/dL) was increased. Apparently absorbed Na and Cl were higher and apparently absorbed K, P, and digested ADF were lower for LDTS compared with the control. Both LDTS and LDBP resulted in similar DM intake. Urinary pH tended to be higher (6.15 vs. 5.98) and percentage of digested DM was lower (67 vs. 70%) with LDTS compared with LDBP. Blood ionized Ca (5.3 vs. 5.4 mg/dL) tended to be lower and blood Cl⁻ (29.6 vs. 30.1 mg/dL) was lower, whereas blood pH (7.37 vs. 7.33), HCO₃⁻ (25.3 vs. 21.5 mM), and base excess (0.4 vs. −3.8 mM) were higher with LDTS compared with LDBP. Apparent absorption of Na, Cl, S, and P, as well as apparent digestion of acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and N were lower, and K, Cl, S, P, Mg, and N were less retained with LDTS compared with LDBP. Results confirm that low-DCAD timothy silage can be used to produce a compensated metabolic acidosis by decreasing the DCAD of rations served to nonlactating dairy cows.     

Timothy hays differing in dietary cation-anion difference affect the capability of dairy cows to maintain their calcium homeostasis

Forages low in dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) can be used to decrease the DCAD in prepartum diet but the extent to which DCAD needs to be reduced is of recent interest. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of timothy hays differing in DCAD at maintaining Ca homeostasis. Six nonlactating and nonpregnant multiparous Holstein cows were fed diets containing timothy (Phleum pratense L.) hay with DCAD values of 4.1 ± 3.6 (LOW), 14.1 ± 3.0 (MED), or 25.1 ± 2.5 (HIGH) mEq per 100 g of DM in a duplicated 3 × 3 Latin square design with 14-d experimental periods. The LOW and MED hays were produced by fertilizing established timothy fields at a rate of 224 kg CaCl₂ per ha, and HIGH hay was obtained from the same field where LOW hay was produced, but from a section not fertilized with CaCl₂. Experimental diets, containing LOW, MED, or HIGH timothy hay at 71% of dietary DM, had DCAD values of 0.7, 7.3, and 14.4 mEq per 100 g of DM, respectively. Animals were fed at 6% of metabolic body weight, which provided 108% of their daily energy requirement. For each period, after a 12 d diet adaptation, cows were subjected to an EDTA challenge (3 cows each on d 13 and 14). Infusion of EDTA solution into the jugular vein decreases the concentration of blood ionized Ca, and the EDTA challenge protocol determined the resistance time and recovery time: the time required for the blood ionized Ca concentration to decrease to 60%, and the time required to recover to 90% of the prechallenge concentrations, respectively. Urine pH was lower when cows were fed LOW compared with HIGH diet (6.88 vs. 7.83), but urine pH when cows were fed MED diet (7.15) did not differ from that when cows received the LOW or HIGH diet. However, immediately before the EDTA challenge, blood pH was lower when cows were fed LOW or MED compared with HIGH diet (7.44 vs. 7.47). Although the resistance time was not affected by treatments, the recovery time was shorter when cows were fed the LOW compared with MED or HIGH diet (185 vs. 248 and 263 min, respectively). Blood pH decreased when cows were fed the LOW or MED diet, but the capability to maintain Ca homeostasis was enhanced only when cows received the LOW diet, in which the DCAD value was decreased to 1 mEq per 100 g of DM.     

Effects of prepartum dietary cation-anion difference and source of vitamin D in dairy cows: Vitamin D,mineral, and bone metabolism

Pregnant Holstein cows, 28 nulliparous and 51 parous, were blocked by parity and milk yield and randomly allocated to receive diets that differed in dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD), +130 or ?130 mEq/kg, and supplemented with either calcidiol or cholecalciferol at 3 mg/11 kg of dry matter from 255 d of gestation until parturition. Blood was sampled thrice weekly prepartum, and on d 0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, and 30 postpartum to evaluate effects of the diets on vitamin D, mineral and bone metabolism, and acid-base status. Blood pH and concentrations of minerals, vitamin D metabolites, and bone-related hormones were determined, as were mineral concentrations and losses in urine and colostrum. Supplementing with calcidiol increased plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃, 3-epi 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃, 25-hydroxyvitamin D₂, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃, and 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ compared with supplementing with cholecalciferol. Cows fed the diet with negative DCAD had lesser concentrations of vitamin D metabolites before and after calving than cows fed the diet with positive DCAD, except for 25-hydroxyvitamin D₂. Feeding the diet with negative DCAD induced a compensated metabolic acidosis that attenuated the decline in blood ionized Ca (iCa) and serum total Ca (tCa) around calving, particularly in parous cows, whereas cows fed the diet with positive DCAD and supplemented with calcidiol had the greatest 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ concentrations and the lowest iCa and tCa concentrations on d 1 and 2 postpartum. The acidogenic diet or calcidiol markedly increased urinary losses of tCa and tMg, and feeding calcidiol tended to increase colostrum yield and increased losses of tCa and tMg in colostrum. Cows fed the diet with negative DCAD had increased concentrations of serotonin and C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen prepartum compared with cows fed the diet with positive DCAD. Concentrations of undercarboxylated and carboxylated osteocalcin and those of adiponectin did not differ with treatment. These results provide evidence that dietary manipulations can induce metabolic adaptations that improve mineral homeostasis with the onset of lactation that might explain some of the improvements observed in health and production when cows are fed diets with negative DCAD or supplemented with calcidiol.     

Impact of lowering dietary cation-anion difference in nonlactating dairy cows: a meta-analysis

A meta-analysis of previous studies was performed to clarify the response of prepartum dairy cows to lowering dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) and to compare different equations that have been proposed to calculate DCAD. Twenty-two published studies containing 75 treatment groups met criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Five different equations used to calculate DCAD were compared for their association with clinical milk fever and urinary pH. The DCAD equation (Na + K) − (Cl + 0.6 S) was the most highly associated with clinical milk fever (R² = 0.44) and urinary pH (R² = 0.85). Lowering DCAD reduced clinical milk fever but also reduced DM intake. Lowered DCAD was associated with reduced urinary pH, blood bicarbonate, and blood CO₂, suggesting a metabolic acidosis with respiratory compensation. Blood pH was very slightly lowered by lowered DCAD. Lowering DCAD increased ionized Ca in blood before and at calving. The model predicted that lowering DCAD from +300 to 0 mEq/kg reduced risk for clinical milk fever from 16.4 to 3.2%, reduced urinary pH from about 8.1 to 7.0, and reduced DM intake by 11.3%.     

Effect of dietary cation-anion difference and dietary crude protein on performance of lactating dairy cows during hot weather

Thirty-two lactating Holstein cows (225 ± 63 d in milk) were used in a 6-wk trial to determine the effect of dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) and dietary crude protein (CP) concentration on milk and component yield, acid-base status, and serum AA concentrations during hot weather. Treatments were arranged as a 2 × 2 factorial within a randomized complete block design to provide 15 or 17% CP and a DCAD of 25 or 50 mEq (Na + K - Cl)/100 g of dry matter (DM). A DCAD × CP interaction was detected for milk yield; milk yield was less for high DCAD than for low DCAD for the high-CP diets. No differences were noted at low dietary CP. Milk fat percentage was greater for high DCAD than for low DCAD, and high-CP diets supported greater milk fat percentage than low-CP diets. No differences were observed among treatments for dry matter intake or milk protein percentage. Serum total AA and essential AA concentrations and ratio of essential AA:total AA were greater for high DCAD. These results suggest that increasing DCAD improves AA availability for protein synthesis by taking the place of AA that would otherwise be used for maintenance of acid-base balance. A better understanding of the mechanisms behind this AA-sparing effect will improve management of protein nutrition in the lactating dairy cow.     

Effects of prepartum dietary calcium level on calcium and magnesium metabolism in periparturient dairy cows

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary Ca level (4.9, 9.3, and 13.6 g/kg of DM) on Ca and Mg homeostasis in dairy cows around parturition. Cows of the Swedish Red breed (n = 29) with no previous veterinary treatment for milk fever were divided into 3 groups, and each group was fed one of the different diets during the last 15 to 32 d of gestation. Calcium was added as ground limestone, and the Mg concentration was 1.8 g/kg of DM in all diets. After calving the cows were fed similar diets. Plasma was sampled twice per week until calving, and 6, 12, and 24 h, 2, 4, and 7 d after calving. Spot urine samples were collected twice weekly until calving and creatinine was used as a marker of daily urinary excretion. Fecal samples were collected 2 times per day for 5 d starting 2 wk before expected calving, and acid-insoluble ash was used as an indigestible marker to estimate digestibility. Apparent digestibility of Mg and daily Mg excretion in the urine were lower in the dry period for cows fed the highest Ca level. Plasma Mg concentration was lower on 2, 4, and 7 d after calving in cows fed the highest level of Ca. Treatment groups did not differ in plasma Ca concentration, parathyroid hormone concentration, or bone mobilization, evaluated using crosslinked carboxyterminal telopeptides of type I collagen (CTx) as a marker. Plasma Ca concentration decreased and plasma CTx concentration increased 6 h after calving. The apparent digestibility of Ca during the dry period was not affected by dietary Ca, but the cows fed 4.9 g Ca/kg of DM excreted 1.2 g of Ca/d in the urine, which was higher compared with 0.4 g/d and 0.6 g/d for the cows fed 9.3 g of Ca/kg of DM and 13.6 g of Ca/kg of DM, respectively. The results show that feeding 13.6 g of dietary Ca/kg of DM impaired the Mg absorption during the dry period, and resulted in decreased plasma Mg concentration after calving, but prepartum dietary Ca level did not affect plasma Ca, parathyroid hormone, or CTx concentrations.     

Effects of prepartum dietary cation-anion difference and source of vitamin D in dairy cows: Health and reproductive responses

The objectives of the experiment were to evaluate the effects of feeding diets with distinct dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) levels and supplemented with 2 sources of vitamin D during the prepartum transition period on postpartum health and reproduction in dairy cows. The hypotheses were that feeding acidogenic diets prepartum would reduce the risk of hypocalcemia and other diseases, and the benefits of a negative DCAD treatment on health would be potentiated by supplementing calcidiol compared with cholecalciferol. Cows at 252 d of gestation were blocked by parity (28 nulliparous and 52 parous cows) and milk yield within parous cows, and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments arranged as a 2 × 2 factorial, with 2 levels of DCAD, positive (+130 mEq/kg) or negative (?130 mEq/kg), and 2 sources of vitamin D, cholecalciferol or calcidiol, fed at 3 mg for each 11 kg of diet dry matter. The resulting treatment combinations were positive DCAD with cholecalciferol (PCH), positive DCAD with calcidiol (PCA), negative DCAD with cholecalciferol (NCH), and negative DCAD with calcidiol (NCA), which were fed from 252 d of gestation to calving. After calving, cows were fed the same lactation diet supplemented with cholecalciferol at 0.70 mg for every 20 kg of dry matter. Blood was sampled 7 d before parturition, and at 2 and 7 d postpartum to evaluate cell counts and measures of neutrophil function. Postpartum clinical and subclinical diseases and reproductive responses were evaluated. Feeding a diet with negative DCAD eliminated clinical hypocalcemia (23.1 vs. 0%) and drastically reduced the incidence and daily risk of subclinical hypocalcemia, and these effects were observed in the first 48 to 72 h after calving. The diet with negative DCAD tended to improve the intensity of oxidative burst activity of neutrophils in all cows prepartum and increased the intensity of phagocytosis in parous cows prepartum and the proportion of neutrophils with killing activity in parous cows postpartum (58.5 vs. 67.6%). Feeding calcidiol improved the proportion of neutrophils with oxidative burst activity (60.0 vs. 68.7%), reduced the incidences of retained placenta (30.8 vs. 2.5%) and metritis (46.2 vs. 23.1%), and reduced the proportion of cows with multiple diseases in early lactation. Combining the negative DCAD diet with calcidiol reduced morbidity by at least 60% compared with any of the other treatments. Cows with morbidity had lower blood ionized Ca and serum total Ca concentrations than healthy cows. Treatments did not affect the daily risk of hyperketonemia in the first 30 d of lactation. Despite the changes in cow health, manipulating the prepartum DCAD did not influence reproduction, but feeding calcidiol tended to increase the rate of pregnancy by 55%, which reduced the median days open by 19. In conclusion, feeding prepartum cows with a diet containing a negative DCAD combined with 3 mg of calcidiol benefited health in early lactation.     

Effectiveness of potassium carbonate sesquihydrate to increase dietary cation-anion difference in early lactation cows

The effect of additional dietary potassium in early lactation dairy cows was evaluated with the addition of potassium carbonate sesquihydrate, which increased dietary K from 1.3 to 2.1% of dry matter (DM) from wk 3 to 12 of lactation. Cows fed potassium carbonate sesquihydrate in the form of DCAD Plus (Church & Dwight Co. Inc., Princeton, NJ) had increased DM intake, milk fat percentage and yield, energy-corrected milk, and efficiency of milk production per unit of DM intake. Milk fat of cows fed higher dietary K had a lower concentration of trans fatty acids, suggesting a role for potassium carbonate sesquihydrate in the rumen in the biohydrogenation processes converting linoleic to stearic acid. Cows fed the diet with 2.1% K had greater apparent balance of K, and no effects were noted on the concentration of blood Mg or amount of fecal Mg. The data support the feeding of greater amounts of K in the early lactation cow.     

Meta-analysis of the effects of prepartum dietary cation-anion difference on performance and health of dairy cows

The objectives were to use meta-analytic methods to determine the effects of changes in dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) prepartum on productive performance and health of dairy cows. The literature was systematically reviewed, searching randomized experiments with transition cows that manipulated the prepartum DCAD or experiments with acidogenic diets in which dietary Ca, P, or Mg was manipulated. Forty-two experiments, including 134 treatment means and 1,803 cows, were included in the meta-analysis. Of those, 5 experiments with 15 treatment means reported responses for 151 nulliparous cows. Data collected included the mineral composition of prepartum diets, parity group prepartum, breed, days on treatment, and means and respective measure of variance for urine pH, dry matter intake (DMI), body weight, body condition, productive performance, concentrations of minerals and metabolites in blood, and incidence of diseases. Mixed effects meta-analyses were conducted weighting by the inverse of standard error of the means squared to account for the precision of each experiment. Models include the effects of DCAD, parity group prepartum, interaction between DCAD and parity group, and other covariates that showed significance in univariable analysis. Final models were selected based on parsimony and model fit. Reducing the prepartum DCAD reduced intake prepartum but improved intake postpartum in both parity groups. Interactions between DCAD and parity group occurred for yields of milk, fat-corrected milk (FCM), fat, and protein because reducing the DCAD improved those responses in parous cows; however, reducing the DCAD either had no effect on yields of milk and protein or reduced the yield of FCM and fat in nulliparous cows. The resulting equations from the statistical models predicted that reducing the DCAD from +200 to ?100 mEq/kg would increase blood total Ca on the day of calving from 1.86 to 2.04 ± 0.05 mM, DMI postpartum 1.0 kg/d, and milk yield 1.7 kg/d in parous cows. The increased concentrations of blood total Ca at calving and postpartum explained the marked reduction in risk of milk fever in parous cows with a reduction in DCAD. As the DCAD decreased, the risk of retained placenta and metritis also decreased, resulting in fewer disease events per cow in both nulliparous and parous cows. Dietary concentrations of Ca, P, or Mg prepartum had no effect on DMI or yields of milk and FCM; however, increasing dietary Ca within the study range of 0.16 to 1.98% of dry matter tended to increase the risk of milk fever in parous cows regardless of DCAD fed. Collectively, results support the recommendation of prepartum acidogenic diets to result in a negative DCAD to parous cows with improvements in lactation performance and reduced risk of diseases; however, the range of DCAD fed did not allow for detection of an optimum value for postpartum performance. On the other hand, despite improvements in blood concentrations of Ca and reduction in uterine diseases with a reduction in DCAD fed to nulliparous cows, productive performance was either depressed or unaffected and the limited number of experiments did not provide sufficient evidence for a recommended DCAD for this group of cows.