SOON AFTER GIVING BIRTH TO CALVES, DAIRY COWS BEGIN PRODUCING A LARGE VOLUME OF MILK, AND THIS PRODUCTION REQUIRES AN IMMEDIATE AND HEFTY AMOUNT OF CALCIUM. CALCIUM IS AN IMPORTANT MINERAL NEEDED FOR MANY BODY FUNCTIONS, AND SO MUCH CALCIUM IS NEEDED TO MAKE MILK THAT SOME COWS NO LONGER HAVE ENOUGH STRENGTH TO STAND. ALTHOUGH THIS SEVERE FORM OF DISEASE, CALLED HYPOCALCEMIA, IS UNCOMMON, ALMOST 50% OF COWS DEVELOP A MILD FORM OF THIS DISEASE AFTER CALVING IN WHICH CALCIUM CONCENTRATIONS ARE LOW BUT COWS LOOK AND ACT NORMALLY. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THIS LOW CALCIUM CONCENTRATION INCREASES THE CHANCE A COW WILL DEVELOP OTHER DISEASES AND IS THUS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE FROM BOTH A COW HEALTH AND ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT COWS EXPERIENCING A SHORT PERIOD OF MILD HYPOCALCEMIA ARE ADAPTING NORMALLY TO THE START OF MILK PRODUCTION, WHEREAS COWS THAT EXPERIENCE A LONGER PERIOD OF MILD HYPOCALCEMIA HAVE A PROBLEM THAT PREVENTS THEIR BODIES FROM ADAPTING APPROPRIATELY. OUR OBJECTIVES ARE TO IDENTIFY IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE WAYS COWS WITH SHORT OR LONG PERIODS OF MILD HYPOCALCEMIA REGULATE THEIR CALCIUM CONCENTRATIONS, EXAMINE THE BENEFITS OF GIVING A THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT TO COWS AFTER A SHORT PERIOD OF HYPOCALCEMIA, AND DEVELOP A NON-INVASIVE METHOD TO IDENTIFY COWS WITH MILD HYPOCALCEMIA THROUGH TESTING OF THEIR MILK. WE EXPECT TO FIND A DIFFERENCE IN CALCIUM REGULATION BETWEEN THESE TYPES OF COWS THAT ALLOWS FOR THE DESIGN OF EFFECTIVE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT STRATEGIES AND CAN BE IDENTIFIED THROUGH ANALYSIS OF MILK. INFORMATION PRODUCED BY OUR STUDY WILL PROVIDE A FOUNDATION FOR FURTHER SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSE OF THIS CALCIUM REGULATION DIFFERENCE, PROVIDE DAIRY PRODUCERS WITH A DIRECT AND IMMEDIATE RECOMMENDATION ON HOW TO BEST TREAT THIS DISEASE, AND ALLOW DAIRY PRODUCERS TO DETECT THIS DISEASE IN A NON-INVASIVE, FAST, AND ECONOMICAL WAY.