During episodes of negative energy balance, such as transition and early lactation, ketosis is a common disease. Fortifying the metabolizable methionine content of diets with rumen-protected methionine products such as Smartamine® M or MetaSmart® helps support the onset of lactation by mitigating common metabolic health challenges such as ketosis
A review by McArt et al. reported that the incidence of subclinical ketosis during early lactation affected 40 to 60% of cows with the incidence of clinical ketosis as high as 15%. Ketosis is often associated with other postpartum diseases, a decrease in milk yield, and poorer reproductive performance.
Ketosis raids profits. The estimated cost of subclinical ketosis is $67 USD per case per year. With clinical ketosis, the cost climbs to an estimated $232 USD per case per year.
Feeding rumen-protected methionine sources pre- and postpartum has been shown to positively impact dry matter intake, milk and components, and metabolic health with a lower incidence of ketosis
This sets cows up for healthy and profitable lactations. Typical feeding guidelines are 5 grams of supplemental methionine in the close-up ration and 8 to 10 grams immediately postpartum.
Both Smartamine® M and MetaSmart® are used to fortify the metabolizable methionine content of dairy cow diets. They support the onset of lactation by mitigating common metabolic health challenges.