Milk BHB (Ketosis) Test
The milk BHB test measures beta-hydroxybutyrate, a ketone body, in milk to screen fresh cows and buffaloes for ketosis. A raised result may lead your vet to confirm with a blood BHB test, the reference test.
- Sample
- Fresh milk
- Quantity
- As advised
- Report
- Confirmed when you book
- Collection
- Free in Bhopal
What this test checks
- Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), a ketone body, in fresh milk
- A screening sign of ketosis in animals that have recently calved
When your vet may advise it
- A recently calved cow or buffalo eating less or giving less milk
- Weight loss or dullness in a high-yielding animal soon after calving
- Routine screening of fresh animals when your vet advises it
About this test
Ketosis is an energy shortage in dairy animals soon after calving, when milk output rises faster than the animal can eat enough. The body breaks down fat, and ketone bodies such as beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) build up in blood and milk. Some animals eat less, lose weight or give less milk, while others show no signs, which is called subclinical ketosis. A milk BHB test is a quick screen for this. Blood BHB is the reference test, so a raised milk result may be checked with blood. It checks the animal's health, not milk quality. A registered veterinarian interprets it with the calving date and the animal's condition.
How to prepare
Collect fresh milk in a clean container, label it with the animal's name and calving date, and send it promptly. The lab confirms the method, sample needs and reporting time when you book.
Questions about Milk BHB (Ketosis) Test
What are the signs of ketosis in cows and buffaloes?
Is the milk BHB test as accurate as a blood test?
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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More milk tests
Milk BHB (Ketosis) Test: 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