FarmLabo is currently busy with the further development of BoviLab. Soon, two new blood analysis slides will be available in Europe: the liverfunctionslide and the downerslide. The transitionslide is already available. The liverfunctionslide will be available in December.
The transitionslide is used to monitor the transition period. If you want to do more research afterwards, the liverfunctionslide allows you to assess the liver’s performance. The downerslide enables a better diagnosis and prognosis for a downer cow, allowing these slides to measure blood on twice as many parameters.
BoviLab’s transitionslide measures blood for calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA’s), and urea.
On the liverfunctionslide, blood is tested for the liver enzymes aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), albumin, total protein, glucose, and total cholesterol. An excess of liver enzymes indicates liver damage, often caused by fatty liver disease. Even mild fatty liver disease leads to reduced milk production, resistance, and fertility. Severe fatty liver is irreversible and leads to culling.
The parameters of the downerslide provide a lot of information about the diagnosis and prognosis of a downer cow, which is a cow unable to stand independently. This slide measures blood for calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA’s), the enzymes creatine kinase (CK), and AST. Elevated levels of both CK and AST indicate muscle damage. The level of AST in particular can be used to set a prognosis. If CK is low but AST and NEFA’s are elevated, it indicates more towards liver issues/fatty liver than muscle damage.
Keep an eye on our social media and website to know when the slides are available!
