Liver function in dairy cows with fatty liver

The purpose of this investigation was to establish any changes that may occur in liver function in dairy cattle with fatty liver. The liver fat content was determined in all cows histologically. Cows with fatty liver were grouped according to fatty liver fat content as cows with mild, moderate and severe hepatosteatosis. Some chemical parameters (bile acid, AST, ALT, GGT, ALP, CPK, glucose, total protein, albumin, globulin, total bilirubin and urea) were measured. There was a significant increase (p<0.001) in GGT, CPK and AST activities in cows with severe fatty liver than controls. The serum bile acid and urea concentrations were significantly higher (p<0.001) in cows with severe and moderate fatty liver than controls. The bile acid and albumin levels were also significantly different between severe and moderate fatty liver groups. In conclusion, bile acid, GGT, AST and albumin parameters seem to be helpful for liver function in cows with fatty liver. However, because of considerable variation of these results they should be interpreted with caution.