Do Calving-Related Injuries of the Vestibulum Vaginae and the Vagina Affect the Reproductive Performance in Primiparous Dairy Cows?

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of calving-related injuries of the vestibulum vaginae and the vagina on fertility measures in heifers. German Holstein heifers (n = 236) were checked for vestibulum vaginae and vaginal injuries. These were scored according to localization, depth and length. The healing process was assessed until day 42 post partum. Calving ease and the occurrence of metritis and endometritis were evaluated. In 160 heifers, the following fertility measures were calculated to assess the reproductive performance of heifers: mean interval from calving to first insemination, mean days open, mean interval from first insemination to conception, mean calving interval, mean pregnancy index, percentage of animals pregnant at 200 days p.p., and first service conception rate. On the one hand, dystocia was a risk factor for injuries of the soft birth canal, and, on the other hand, those injuries were a risk factor for metritis and endometritis. In this study, calving-related injuries of the vestibulum vaginae and the vagina had no statistically significant effect on the reproductive performance of heifers. One reason for this outcome was probably the overall good healing tendencies of those injuries in heifers.

Income compensation options and partial budget analysis following a reduction of antimicrobial sales at the veterinary practice level.

Over the years, the excessive consumption of antimicrobials (AM) by animals and humans has become a major concern at the global level, and several studies have highlighted the link between antimicrobial use (AMU) and antimicrobial resistance. Previous studies showed that, in Switzerland, every calf in the fattening process received in average seven days of AM treatment, and mainly oral group treatments. Therefore, policies to reduce the consumption of AM among veal calves should be implemented and promoted to decrease AM pressure on the microbiome. This study aimed to assess how a potential loss of income due to a reduction of AM prescriptions and sales in the Swiss veal calves sector could potentially be compensated. Partial budget models at the veterinary practice level were built to evaluate the effect on the net profit of veterinary practices, following four different national policy interventions that aim to reduce AM prescriptions for veal calves. The best-case scenarios resulted in a positive net profit. The scenarios assuming complete loss of profit from AM sales resulted in very low or negative net profit. Therefore, without financial support (e.g. through the government or other entities), veterinarians are likely to find it difficult to fully compensate the economic losses. At the practice level, income compensation mechanisms require a fundamental change of the business model. New model should be largely independent of pharmaceutical sales and should promote paid counselling on herd health management.

Dehydroepiandrosterone and cortisol/dehydroepiandrosterone ratios in dairy cattle with postpartum metritis.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a C19 steroid synthesized predominantly by the adrenal cortex, and its sulfated precursor (DHEAS) has antiglucocorticoid and immunoprotective properties. DHEA is important in modulating inflammatory responses; therefore, we hypothesized that DHEA concentrations might be altered in bovine postpartum metritis. DHEA, DHEAS, the cortisol/DHEA-ratio (C/D-ratio) and the DHEAS/DHEA ratio were determined in cows with and without clinical metritis subcategorized by the blood leukocyte numbers. Blood from the coccygeal vein of 37 pluriparous Holstein-Friesian cows was sampled 8.8±0.9days (mean±SE) after calving. Based on clinical signs of metritis and leukocyte numbers (normal range 5-10×106/µl), cows were classified as healthy with leukocyte numbers in the reference range (leukocyte normal; LNH=5954.17±302.4/µl); suffering from metritis with normal leukocyte counts (LNM=7422.22±774.74/µl); or metritis with leukopenia (LLM=3950±284.31/µl P<0.01). Cows with metritis had higher DHEA concentrations than healthy cows (P<0.05). Notably, cows with both metritis and leukopenia displayed higher DHEA concentrations than cows with metritis and normal leukocyte numbers (DHEA LLM 8.15±3.09 vs. LNM 4.09±1.82ng/ml, P<0.05). Cows with metritis and leukopenia also had lower C/D-ratios than healthy cows. In conclusion, DHEA and the cortisol/DHEA-ratio could represent an anti-inflammatory signal during prolonged inflammation of the reproductive tract in dairy cattle and may be a biomarker or prognostic indicator for evaluating disease severity, as seen in serious chronic illnesses in other species.

[Pregnancy diagnosis by detection of pregnancy-associated glycopoteins in milk: evaluation of a commercial available ELISA]. / Trächtigkeitsdiagnostik per Milchprobe: Evaluation des Nachweises von trächtig- keitsassoziierten Glykoproteinen mittels kommerziellem ELISA.

In order to increase fertility in modern dairy farming, the interval between first insemination and conception should be as short as possible. Therefore, one approach is to diagnose non pregnant animals early to re-inseminate them as soon as possible. Commercial milk pregnancy assays are available to detect throphoblast derived bovine pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (bPAG) in milk. The aim of the present study was first to evaluate pre-analytical factors interfering with the correct detection of bPAG in milk. To achieve this aim, the stability of the bPAG was tested after repeated freezing and thawing cycles, as well as after a storage of seven days at room temperature and at 37°C. Secondly, the diagnostic performance of a commercially available PAG-ELISA was evaluated for pregnancy diagnosis between 28 to 60 days after artificial insemination by comparing the results with transrectal ultrasonography in a field study (n = 291 cows). After one freezing and thawing procedure the optical density (OD) increased and afterwards stayed stable. The storage of milk samples at room temperature had no effect on the OD, but after five days of storage at 37 °C the OD dropped sharply. It is therefore recommended to add an appropriate microbicidal preservative for shipment and storage of milk samples for bPAG analysis . The results of the field study showed that PAG-ELISA results and ultrasonography results agreed in 95.7% of the cases. Nine samples were tested as "false negative"and five as "false positive", however a re-check revealed that all "false positive"and "false negative" tested cows suffered from embryonic/fetal mortality. In conclusion, the pregnancy diagnostic by bPAG detection in milk samples is an accurate method to diagnose early pregnancy in lactating cows.

Effects of Increased Vigilance for Locomotion Disorders on Lameness and Production in Dairy Cows.

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of weekly locomotion scoring and, thus, early detection and treatment of lame cows by a veterinarian on lameness prevalence, incidence, duration of lameness, fertility and milk yield on one dairy farm in Northern Germany. Cows were distributed to two groups. Cows in Group A (n = 99) with a locomotion score (LS) > 1 were examined and treated. In Group B (n = 99), it was solely in the hands of the farmer to detect lame cows and to decide which cows received treatment. Four weeks after the beginning of the experimental period, the prevalence of cows with LS = 1 was higher in Group A compared with Group B. Prevalence of lame cows (LS > 1) increased in Group B (47.6% in Week 2 to 84.0% in Week 40) and decreased in Group A from Week 2 to Week 40 (50% to 14.4%; P < 0.05). Within groups, the monthly lameness incidence did not differ. The average duration of lameness for newly lame cows was 3.7 weeks in Group A and 10.4 weeks in Group B (P < 0.001). There was no effect on fertility and incidence of puerperal disorders. The 100-day milk yield was calculated from cows having their first four Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) test day results during the experimental period. The mean 100-day milk yield tended to be higher in Group A compared with Group B (3,386 kg vs. 3,359 kg; P = 0.084).