Sub-acute ruminal acidosis: an interdisciplinary approach to understand and prevent a multifactorial disease

Aims & Objectives
To lower the incidence and severity of sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) and thereby to improve both economics and dairy cow welfare.

Expected Outcomes

• To understand why SARA is prevalent on some farms but not on others by gaining better understanding of  management and nutritional factors associated with variation in the incidence of SARA
• Improved understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in the development of SARA in dairy and beef cattle.
• Identification of potential probiotics that may protect cattle from SARA
• Development of simple non-invasive methods for monitoring animal behaviour relating to SARA that may be useful in preventing the condition.