Assessment of the effects of intrauterine dextrose infusion in post-partum dairy cows diagnosed with clinical metritis
Open Access
- Author:
- Hamilton, Julia
- Area of Honors:
- Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Adrian A Barragan, Thesis Supervisor
Robert John Vansaun, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- clinical metritis
intrauterine dextrose
dairy cattle - Abstract:
- The objective of this study was to assess the effects of intrauterine dextrose infusion on clinical metritis cure rate, daily milk yield and rumination time, metabolic stress, and systemic inflammation in dairy cows diagnosed with clinical metritis (CM). Cows (n=641) from a farm located in central Pennsylvania were screened at 7±3 DIM to assess vaginal discharge. Cows that presented a fetid red-brownish watery vaginal discharge (n=77) were classified as CM cows, blocked by parity and randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1) CONV (n=39): two injections of ceftiofur (per label;6.6 mg/Kg) 72 h apart; and 2) DEX (n=38): three intrauterine infusions of a 50% dextrose solution (1 L/cow) every 24 h. Cows that presented a normal vaginal discharge at 7±3 DIM (NOCM; n=45) were randomly selected and matched by parity to CONV and DEX cows. Cows were re-screened at 14±3 and 21±3 DIM to assess CM cure rate. Daily milk yield and rumination time for the first 150 DIM was collected from on-farm computer records. Body condition score was assessed, and blood samples were collected at enrollment, and at 9±3, 14±3 and 21±3 DIM. The data were analyzed using the MIXED and GLIMMIX procedures of SAS as a randomized complete block design. There was no difference in CM cure rate between treatment groups at 14±3 DIM (CONV=68.59±7.95%; DEX= 61.12±8.25%) and 21±3 DIM (CONV=88.26±5.586%; DEX=85.74±5.994%). CONV and DEX cows had higher concentration of haptoglobin at 7±3 DIM and 9±3 DIM, but there was no difference between study groups at 14 and 21±3 DIM. Overall, cows in the CONV and NOCM groups produced 3.67 kg/d and 3.68 kg/d more milk, respectively, compared with cows in the DEX group during the first 150 DIM. These results suggest that, although intrauterine infusion of dextrose may achieve similar clinical cure rates as ceftiofur treatment, dextrose may not be as effective at restoring milk production in CM cows.