Evaluation of intraperitoneal administration of glucose solution using in the treatment of ketosis in dairy cows
Authors: Nikolaev Semen 
Published: May 2022

Ketosis in high‐yielding dairy cows is the most common metabolic pathology during late dryness and early lactation. This work aims to establish the possibility and effectiveness of therapy for ketosis in dairy cows through the intraperitoneal injection of a 20% glucose solution. For the experiment, on days 21‐30 of lactation, two groups of black‐and‐white cows with a β‐hydroxybutyrate level above 1.0 mmol / l were formed. Animals of the first group (n = 10) were injected four times with an interval of 24 hours intraperitoneally with 1000 ml of 20% dextrose solution. Cows of the second group (n = 10) in a similar regimen were injected dextrose intravenously. Blood for research was obtained before the start of injections, after 5, 30 minutes, 1, 2, 3 hours after the first injection of the solution, and one day and seven days after the end of therapy. It was found that a single intravenous injection of dextrose during the first 5 minutes is accompanied by an increase in the concentration of the monosaccharide in the blood by 2.2 times (from 5.1 to 11.4 mmol / L; P <0.001). The level decreases to the initial values within 1 hour, and intraperitoneal infusion does not cause hyperglycemia. A redistribution of protein fractions accompanies therapy of cows with ketosis: a decrease in the albumin‐globulin coefficient by 16.8% (P <0.05) with intraperitoneal administration and by 26.9% (P <0.01) with intravenous administration. The activity of AST after intracavitary injections of dextrose decreased by 36.5% (P <0.05). The loading of erythrocytes with substances of low and medium molecular weight was 19.4% (P <0.05) with the intraperitoneal injection. It was not observed with the intravascular route of administration. The morphological composition of blood after intravenous administration of dextrose was characterized by an increase in the level of leukocytes by 34.8% (P <0.05), a decrease in erythrocytes by 11.9% (P <0.05), hemoglobin by 11.6% (P <0, 05), hematocrit by 12.3% (P <0.05). Therapy via intraperitoneal injection did not cause pronounced changes in these parameters. The intravenous administration of glucose promoted a more rapid elimination of ketone bodies, which decreased by 2 times one day after the end of therapy (P <0.05), but after 7 days, their level began to increase again (by 21.1%). It did not have significant differences with indicators at the time of diagnosis. Intraperitoneal infusions were accompanied by a slight decrease (by 16.3%) in the level of β‐hydroxybutyrate one day after the end of therapy, followed by a pronounced decrease in the concentration of ketones by day 7 (2.3 times; P <0.01). The dynamics of fructosamine indicate that intracavitary injections do not cause glycosylation of plasma proteins, while intravenous infusions increase the values by 37.0 ‐ 39.4% (P <0.001). Thus, intraperitoneal administration of glucose during ketosis in dairy cows has a more favorable effect on the morphobiochemical composition of the blood and provides a more prolonged therapeutic effect.