A West Australian researcher has found a way to test for a metabolic condition in dairy cows using a simple blood test.

Western Dairy research extension officer Jess Andony has found an on-farm blood test is an accurate and effective method to test for sub-clinical ketosis in dairy cows.

Ketosis is a metabolic condition that can reduce production and fertility in dairy cows.

Ketosis in the sub-clinical stage is typically very difficult to detect, aside from the drop in milk production.

If the condition goes untreated, it can cause weight loss and even death.

During a research project completed during her honours work at Murdoch University, Ms Andony found a simple blood glucose monitoring test used by people with diabetes was a fast and reliable detection method. Listen Duration: 4 minutes 37 seconds 4 m 37 s Listen Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Jess Andony says simple blood test can test for ketosis in dairy cows ( Bridget Fitzgerald ) Download 2.1 MB

She said farmers currently used milk, urine and laboratory blood tests to look for ketosis, but the on-farm blood test was much more efficient.

"There's nothing that is really accurate that gives the farmer an immediate result, which is why we wanted to do the project," she said.

Ms Andony said the glucose test could use blood straight from cows and there was no need to send the sample off-farm for calibration.

"We literally just get a drop of blood from the cow, plug it into the little machine and analysis the blood," she said.

"And it just gives a digital reading straight out."

Ms Andony said it was a way for farmers to cut out the middle man in testing for ketosis.

She said it was a reasonably inexpensive test, costing farmers approximately $50 for the meter itself and about 50 cents for each test strip.

Ms Andony was the runner-up presenter at the Dairy Research Foundation 2015 Emerging Scientists’ program.