Diagnostic Methods for the Detection of Subacute Ruminal Acidosis in Dairy Cows

Two experiments were conducted 1) to validate a field protocol for the determination of ruminal pH and 2) to develop a strategy to interpret ruminal pH data from groups of cows. In the first experiment, ruminal fluid was collected from 30 lactating dairy cows. Ruminal fluid pH was 0.28 pH units lower for fluid collected by rumenocentesis than for fluid collected through a ruminal cannula. Concentrations of volatile fatty acids were correspondingly higher in samples collected by rumenocentesis. A portable pH meter capable of measuring pH of a very small volume of ruminal fluid yielded very similar pH readings as did a standard meter with a pH probe. Filtration or aspiration of ruminal fluid had no effect on pH. In the second experiment, a strategy was developed to use ruminal pH values from a subsample of cows to distinguish between groups fed either a low or higher forage diet. Groups could be distinguished using a cut point of 5.5 ruminal pH, a sample size of 12 cows, and a critical value of 3 or more cows below the cut point. This strategy had the lowest theoretical error rate for herds with either a high or low prevalence of cows with a low ruminal pH.