Acidosis

Two types of acidosis are recognized: acute and subacute. Acute acidosis is less common but more severe. Affected animals are depressed, off-feed, have an elevated heart rate, diarrhea and may die. Cows with subacute rumen acidosis have mild diarrhea, lower dry matter intake and hemorrhages in the hoof, leading to laminitis. Rumen pH drops below 6 and remains low for several hours. Volatile fatty acid (VFA) patterns shift to higher levels of propionic acid with an acetic:propionic ratio less than 2.2:1.

This note comes from the original DairyWeb Dairy Notes series.