Vet's vision with Phil Rennie Tauranga Vets

 The metabolic disease ketosis – also known as acidosis – is often seen in high-production cows or cows on a poor diet. It’s also not uncommon in sheep and goats and is typically referred to as “sleepy sickness”.

The prevalence of the disease will often vary from season to season and tend to be greater where multiple young are expected. Signs of the disease can be seen prior to birth but are more commonly seen in the first month after calving or lambing.

Ketosis occurs when a cow’s energy source is compromised through a deficiency of glucose in the blood and body tissues, most notably the brain. In ruminants, glucose is produced from carbohydrates (pasture). High production cows may well not be eating enough carbohydrates to satisfy their glucose needs, or the feed they’re consuming may be deficient in carbohydrates.

There are two forms: Wasting ketosis and nervous ketosis.

Wasting ketosis

Affected individuals with wasting ketosis may have a sweet smell about them, a decline in appetite, be very restless but have very low energy levels. Their head will tend to be hung low and may show signs of tremors or staggering. Their urine may smell like acetone, similar to nail polish remover.

Nervous ketosis

Signs of nervous ketosis are more sudden and may include blindness, aimless wandering, strange tongue movements including obsessive licking. They may also walk in circles and bellow loudly for no apparent reason.

Treatment

Ketosis is generally treated with an intravenous dextrose/glucose solution and a monopropylene glycol/glycerine-based drench. This provides an instant energy boost that may be life-saving for mother and newborn alike. If the condition is critical and intravenous is required, care should be taken when doing this as temperament can be unpredictable even in a normally placid individual.

If the combination of injectable and oral treatments is not enough to get the cow or sheep back to normal there is probably a further complicating factor or factors; in which case it’s best to contact your local vet to assess.