The use of indicators to assess the degree of mobilisation of body reserves in dairy cows in early lactation on a pasture-based diet

The results of this study confirm that milk acetone may be an accurate and practical indicator for estimating EB of cows in early lactation on a predominantly pasture-based diet. Where cows may be sampled on a once-off basis, plasma glucose and plasma BHBA together explain a large portion of the variation in EB.