Subclinical hypomagnesemia: Prevalence and causes in dairy cows in the semiarid region of the state of Paraíba, Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT In dairy farming, cows display important metabolic changes during the transition period, particularly high-production cows, which need nutrients in greater quantity to meet the required demand. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of subclinical hypomagnesemia in pre- and post-partum dairy cows inserted in milk-production systems in the Sousa microregion and the district of São João do Rio do Peixe, both in the State of Paraíba, Brazil. As such, visits were made every two weeks to 34 rural properties, where the team collected 357 blood samples by venepuncture, 106 from pre-partum lactating cows and 251 from lactating cows in the post-partum period. It was found that the properties supplied three types of mineral supplement: a single supplement of NaCl, a supplement of NaCl + mineral base, and a commercial supplement. The cows receiving the commercial mineral supplement had the highest prevalence (10.53%) of the disorder, even showing a significant difference (P < .05) between the other types of supplement. In relation to reproductive period, it was found that the post-partum cows had a higher prevalence of subclinical hypomagnesemia (9.96%) than did the pre-partem cows (8.49%); there was, however, no significant difference (P > .05) between the two. Studies such as this are fundamental for alerting rural and technical producers to the occurrence of subclinical hypomagnesemia in the region, in addition to the damage caused by metabolic disorders.