Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) - Blood Ketones
A BHB test measures beta-hydroxybutyrate, the main ketone in the blood, which rises when the body burns fat for energy. It is commonly used to screen cows and buffaloes for ketosis around calving and to help assess diabetic ketoacidosis in dogs and cats.
- Sample
- Serum (plain)
- Quantity
- As advised
- Report
- Confirmed when you book
- Collection
- Free in Bhopal
What this test checks
- Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), the main ketone in the blood
- How much the body is relying on burning stored fat for energy
- Signs of ketosis in cows and buffaloes around calving and in early lactation
- Ketone build-up in diabetic dogs and cats, as seen in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)
Benefits of this test
- Can help find ketosis in cows and buffaloes, including animals without clear signs.
- Testing a group of recently calved animals can show how well the herd is meeting its energy needs.
- Can be read with NEFA and other tests to judge risk around calving.
- Helps your vet judge how serious ketone build-up is in a diabetic dog or cat.
- Measures the main blood ketone directly, which many urine strips do not detect well.
Often discussed at these ages:Adult CowAdult Buffalo
When your vet may advise it
- A cow or buffalo eating less, losing weight or giving less milk soon after calving.
- Firm dung, dullness or a sweet, fruity smell on the breath in a recently calved animal.
- Planned checks of a group of animals around calving, as arranged with your vet.
- A diabetic dog or cat that is vomiting, not eating, weak or breathing fast.
- A dog or cat newly found to have diabetes, when your vet wants to check for ketones.
About this test
When an animal does not get enough energy from its food, or cannot use sugar properly, its body burns stored fat. The liver turns part of this fat into ketones, which the body can use as fuel. Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) is the main ketone in the blood. A small amount is normal, but too much can make an animal ill.
In dairy cows and buffaloes, the weeks around calving and early lactation need a lot of energy for milk. If the animal cannot eat enough, ketones rise. This is called ketosis. Some animals eat less, give less milk and lose weight. Others have raised ketones without clear signs, which vets call subclinical ketosis. Raised ketones in early lactation may also be linked with other health problems after calving. Vets commonly use BHB to screen recently calved animals, often testing a group from the same herd. The time since the last feed can change the level, so your vet plans when to take samples.
In dogs and cats, BHB helps vets assess diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). This is a serious problem of diabetes in which ketones build up and make the blood too acidic. A diabetic pet that vomits, stops eating or becomes weak needs a vet urgently. The test uses serum, the clear liquid that separates from clotted blood. A registered veterinarian reads the BHB result together with the animal's signs, history and other tests, such as blood glucose, and decides what to do next.
How to prepare
Your vet decides when to take the sample, often timed around feeding for cows and buffaloes; a diabetic dog or cat that is unwell should be seen by a vet at once. The lab confirms the method, sample needs and reporting time when you book.
Reading the result
A registered veterinarian reads the BHB result together with the animal's signs, history and other tests, such as glucose, and for dairy animals the stage of lactation. One result is a snapshot, and feeding time and illness can change it, so your vet may repeat the test or test more animals in the herd.
Questions about BHB
What is ketosis in cows and buffaloes?
Can a cow have ketosis without any signs?
Why would a vet check blood ketones in a diabetic dog or cat?
Is a blood BHB test different from a urine ketone strip?
Before you book this test
Why this notice: so you know, before you book, how a test is done, what its limits are and who is responsible.
- Where it is tested. Some tests are done wholly or partly by an independent partner laboratory. The lab tells you before booking if this test is sent out, and the report names the laboratory that did it.
- What a result can and cannot tell you. No test is right every time. A normal result does not rule out every disease, and an abnormal result does not prove one. A registered veterinarian should read the report with the animal’s signs and history before any treatment is started, changed or stopped.
- The sample. A sample that is clotted, too small, wrongly labelled, leaking or too old may be rejected or reported with a note, and the lab may ask for a fresh one.
- Reporting time. Confirmed when you book. Times are estimates, not guarantees, and the lab confirms the time when you book.
- Emergencies. A booking or a pending report must not delay urgent care. If an animal has collapsed, struggles to breathe, has fits or bleeds heavily, call a veterinarian at once.
Please read our Terms of Service, Medical Disclaimer, Privacy Policy and Refund and Cancellation Policy. Pashupatinath Vet Lab is operated by Duaji Healthcare and Tech Private Limited. This page is general information and does not replace a veterinarian’s advice.
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BHB: Bhopal and the big cities of Madhya Pradesh
Free sample collection anywhere in Bhopal. From the other cities, send the sample by courier, bus parcel or through your local veterinarian, and the report comes to you online.
Free collection in these Bhopal areas
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Ketosis in Dairy Animals: BHB and NEFA Tests
Ketosis happens when a dairy animal burns too much body fat for energy, most often in the weeks around calving. Blood tests for BHB and NEFA, and a milk ketone test, can help a vet find it, even before the signs are clear.
18 Oct 2026