BHB milk ketone test is a semiquantitative dipstick for the detection of subclinical ketosis. Results are ready in 1 minute. This dipstick screens for sub-clinical ketosis. It detects the presence of ketone bodies in milk – specifically BHB (beta-hydroxybutyrate). High levels of BHB are an indicator of ketosis, a metabolic disorder caused by a negative energy balance

Consequences of Ketose

• Ketosis causes 0.5% death loss in affected cows 5% of affected cows are culled
• Ketosis averages 200 ltr milk los per affected cow
• Ketosis increases risk of impaired fertility and displaced abomasum

Instructions
Take a milk sample (small amount from all 4 quarters). Take a test strip out of the packaging and close the bottle tightly again. Dip the reaction field of the test strip into the milk sample. Remove the test strip from the sample and shake excess milk from the test strip. Wait a minute and compare the reaction field with the color card. In a normal condition (-) you do not need to take any action. If the condition is questionable (+/-), you should provide the cow with energy for approx. 1 – 2 days. If the condition is positive (+), you should provide the cow with energy for approx. 3 – 5 days.