Treatment of bovine ketosis with invert sugar, glucocorticoids, and propylene glycol.

Four different treatments of bovine ketosis, using 3 different pharmaceutical preparations, were monitored. The main antiketogenic and glucogenic ingredients of the preparations were as follows: invert sugar (Metabol), prednisolone and dexamethasone (Predasen), the former preparations combined (Metabol & Predasen) and propylene glycol and dexamethasone (Dexaprol). Blood samples were drained from the ketotic cows prior to the treatment. The animals were sampled again 2 and 7 days after the first sampling. The whole blood concentrations of acetoacetate (AA concn), β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB concn) and glucose (glue concn) were determined. The measures of the antiketogenic and glucogenic efficacy of the various treatments applied were their ability to reduce the AA concn and BHB concn and to elevate the gluc concn. Invert sugar (Metabol) alone had no antiketogenic efficacy, although in some cases it led to a subjective clinical improvement as reported by the owners of the animals. Invert sugar and glucocorticoids (Metabol & Predasen) dexamethasone and prednisolone (Predasen) and dexamethason plus propylene glycol (Dexaprol) were equally effective in bringing the AA, BHB and glue concns to normal range. The mean glue concn of the cows treated with Dexaprol was higher than that of the cows in the other treatment groups at 2 days (P < 0.01). No other differences between the 3 antiketogenic treatments could be shown.