Professional Management of Subclinical Ketosis Using Beta-Hydroxybutyrate Monitoring in Peri-Urban Dairy Farms in Kaduna State, North West Nigeria

Subclinical ketosis is a metabolic disease of periparturient dairy cattle that silently reduces milk yield, reproductive efficiency, and immune competence, resulting in substantial farm economic losses. This study evaluated a beta-hydroxybutyrate-based cow-side testing protocol for the identification and professional management of subclinical ketosis in peri-urban dairy farms in Kaduna State, North West Nigeria. One hundred and twenty Friesian-Zebu crossbred cows across three dairy farms were monitored using a hand-held ketone meter validated for bovine serum at five to fifteen days in milk. Cows with serum beta-hydroxybutyrate at or above 1.2 mmol/L were classified as subclinical ketosis positive and enrolled in a propylene glycol drenching protocol administered twice daily for five days. The subclinical ketosis prevalence was 23.3% across the three farms, with the highest rate at the farm with the lowest pre-calving body condition score management. Treated cows demonstrated significant reductions in beta-hydroxybutyrate by day five of treatment compared to untreated positive controls. First service conception rate was 18 percentage points higher in early-detected and treated cows versus those left untreated. This study demonstrates that cow-side beta-hydroxybutyrate testing is an effective professional management tool for reducing the metabolic and reproductive burden of subclinical ketosis in Kaduna State dairy operations. Keywords: subclinical ketosis, beta-hydroxybutyrate, dairy management, periparturient, Kaduna.