KAUPPINEN, KAUKO : Prevalence of bovine ketosis in relation to number and stage of lactation. Acta vet. scand. 1983, 24, 349-361. -The prevalence of bovine ketosis as distributed among various selected subgroups of 504 Ayrshire and Friesian cows was studied during the indoor-housing season 1978-1979 in western and eastern parts of Finland. Special attention was paid to variation by lactation number. Also the differences in prevalence at various phases of lactation and at the end of pregnancy

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... e investigated. The whole blood concentration of acetoacetate (AA concn) was analysed and used as a measure of subclinical and clinical bovine ketosis. AA cocns below 0.35 mmol/l, between 0.36 mmol/l and 1.05 mmol /I and over 1.05 mmolll were considered to indicate normal, subclinal and clinical ketotic stages, respectively. The prevalence of clinical ketosis in cows during 3 postcalving months was 13 %. The percentage of subclinical ketosis was 34. The prevalence of clinical ketosis was 3 %, 7 %, 20 % , 22 % and 13 % at the first, second, third, fourth and fifth, or sixth and later calving, respectively, and the frequency of subclinical ketosis 31 % , 41 % , 35 %, 32 % and 32 %, respectively. No case of ketosis was found in 54 cows at the end phase of pregnancy and only one during the first postcalving week. Only 2 cows (4 % ) had the AA con en at a clinically ketotic level during the 65th-92nd postcalving days, 16 % , 17 % and 16 % during the 8th-21 st, 22nd-42nd and 43rd-64th postcalving days, respectively. acetoacetate blood concentration; prevalence of b 0 v i n eke t 0 sis ; I act at ion n u m be r ; s tag e 0 f I act a t ion. In 1978 Finnish veterinarians recorded a total of 54319 cases of bovine ketosis. The total number of dairy cows in the same year