Disease frequencies in dairy cows in Sweden. IV. ketosis

An epidemiologic study of ketosis in dairy cows in Sweden covering approximately 125 000 calvings in 1268 herds is presented and various risk factors identified.The Swedish Red and White breed (SRB) had a higher incidence of ketosis than the Swedish Friesian breed (SLB). A positive report of parturient paresis, alone or in combination with a positive report of retained placenta increased the risk of ketosis in SRB cows. Simultaneous reports of parturient paresis and retained placenta increased the risk of ketosis in SLB cows. Tied cows of both breeds with pasture had a decreased risk during the months of pasture. The incidence of ketosis decreased with herd size, and tied zero-grazing cows had a higher incidence than loose-housed cows.Cows reported positive once for ketosis had an increased risk in subsequent calvings but no increased risk of removal during lactation.     

Disease frequencies in dairy cows in Sweden. v. mastisis

An epidemiologic study of mastisis in dairy cows in Sweden covering 137 002 calvings and subsequent lactations is presented and various risk factors identified.

Swedish Friesian breed (SLB) had a higher incidence of mastisis than Swedish Red and White breed (SRB). The incidence was higher during the first part of lactation and increased with parity until the seventh lactation in SRB and the sixth lactation in SLB.

Dystocia, retained placenta and parturient paresis increased the risk of mastisis during the first part of lactation in SRB, and retained placenta increased the risk of mastitis during the first part of lactation in SLB. No associations between these periparturient disorders and the occurrence of mastitis in the latter part of lactation could be found. The incidence of mastitis was increased among teat-tramp-positive cows, and a positive report of mastitis increased the risk of mastitis in subsequent calvings.

The influence of environmental factors on the occurrence of mastitis was demonstrated by a higher incidence during housing as opposed to pasture, and a decreased incidence in loose-housed cows when compared to tied zero-grazing cows during the later part of lactation. During the first part of lactation, no seasonal variation could be found, and loose-housed cows had only slightly decreased incidence during this part of lactation when compared to tied zero-grazing cows.

The removal rate was increased in the mastitis-positive cow population.     

Disease frequencies in dairy cows in Sweden. VI. Tramped teat

An epidemiologic study of 11 653 episodes of tramped teat is presented and various risk factors identified.Swedish Red and White Breed (SRB) had a lower incidence than Swedish Friesian Breed (SLB). The incidence increased to reach a peak in the fifth (SRB) and fourth (SLB) parities. The incidence was highest in the month of calving and decreased throughout the lactation period. Dystocia and parturient paresis increased the risk of tramped teat in the month of calving in SRB cows. In SLB cows, parturient paresis increased the risk. Cows of both breeds with a positive history of tramped teat had an increased risk of recurrence in subsequent lactations. Loose-housed cows had a lower incidence than tied cows. A positive report of tramped teat increased the risk of removal, irrespective of mastitis status.     

The prophylactic use of vitamin D3 in parturient paresis in the cow in a practice district in eastern Norway. A retrospective investigation.

The prophylactic effect in parturient paresis of an intramuscular injection of 10 million i.u. vitamin D3 one week prior to the expected calving date, was investigated in 84 cows which had previously suffered from parturient paresis. Clinical observations in connection with the development of parturient paresis after injection of vitamin D3 were compared with corresponding observations made on cows within the same population at the previous calving when no vitamin D3 was administered. The incidence of clinical parturient paresis in cows given vitamin D3 was 44.3 per cent. There were no significant differences in the incidence of parturient paresis in cows injected with vitamin D3 during the periods less than 2, 2--4, 5--8 and greater than 8 days before parturition. Average plasma calcium levels (mg/100 ml) before first calcium treatment, results of treatment, and the incidence of retained placenta in vitamin D3 injected cows did not differ significantly from corresponding data for cows with clinical parturient paresis which had not been given vitamin D3 before calving. It is concluded that vitamin D3 does not have any prophylactic effect in parturient paresis in cows in Eastern Norway.     

Levels of oestrone sulphate during pregnancy in different breeds of cows and its possible association with retained foetal membranes.

The levels of oestrone sulphate in plasma of pregnant cows was followed from 30 days of pregnancy until parturition. The Swedish Jersey Breed (SJB) showed significantly lower levels of oestrone sulphate between 101 and 200 days of pregnancy than either the Swedish Red and White (SRB) or the Swedish Lowland Breed (SLB). No significant difference was noted between SRB and SLB. On days 141-160 of gestation the oestrone sulphate values were still below the 10 nmol/l level for the SJB while they were above this level for the SRB and the SLB, and the difference was significant. In the SJB, levels above 10 nmol/l were reached on days 161-180 of gestation. In the second part of this study the levels of oestrone sulphate were measured around parturition in SRB cows. At parturition, the levels of oestrone sulphate rose to peak values of 79.9 +/- 5.2 nmol/l and then decreased to 6.6 +/- 0.5 nmol/l on the day after calving. In one cow peak values of 66.0 nmol/l were reached 2 days prior to parturition, and subsequently dropped to 7.0 nmol/l at parturition. This cow had retained foetal membranes. A possible relationship between low oestrone sulphate levels prior to parturition and retained foetal membranes is discussed.     

An epidemiological and genetic study on registered diseases in Finnish Ayrshire cattle. II. Reproductive disorders

The epidemiology and genetic variability of the most common reproductive diseases were examined. The data set consisted of the lactation records of 70,775 Finnish Ayrshire dairy cows. Each cow was under observation for 2 days before for 305 days after calving. Lactation incidence rates (%) were: dystocia (DYST) 0.9, retained placenta (RTPL) 4.5, metritis (METR) 2.3, anoestrus and suboe&trus (ESTR) 5.2, and ovulatory dysfunction (CYST) 7.0. These diseases formed 33 % of all first treatmetns by veterinarians during farm visits. The occurrence of DYST, RTPL and METR was lowest in parity 2. ESTR decreased and CYST increased with parity. Cows calving during the dark season (September-February) had a higher risk of ESTR, METR and CYST (odds ratios (OR) 2.2–1.1) and a lower risk of RTPL (OR 0.9) than those calving during the light season (March-August). The increase in herd milk yield was positively associated with the occurrence of reproductive disorders. The cows with a history of parturient paresis had a higher risk of contracting CYST, RTPL and METR (OR 6.6–1.8), the cows with retained placenta of contracting metritis (OR 5.1), the cows with metritis of contracting ESTR and CYST (OR 1.5–1.7), the cows with mastitis of contracting METR and ESTR (OR 2.0–1.3) and the cows with ketosis of contracting METR, ESTR and CYST (OR 2.7–1.6). Heretabilities were determined for 5 diseases and for infertility in general. Heritability estimates for parity 2 were: DYST 2 %, RTPL 3 %, METR 7 %, ESTR 12 %, CYST 12 %, and infertility in general 5 %. Heritability for calving interval was 5 % in parity 1 and 6 % in parity 2.     

The effect of veterinary-treated clinical mastitis and pregnancy status on culling in Swedish dairy cows

The interaction of the effects of pregnancy status and veterinary-treated clinical mastitis on culling in Swedish dairy cattle was analyzed with survival analysis. The data were from 978,780 cows with first calvings between 1988 and 1996. Four breeds (Swedish Red and White (SRB), Swedish Friesian (SLB), Swedish Polled Breed and Jersey) were included in the analysis, together with the SRB x SLB crossbreds. Length of productive life was defined as the number of days between first calving and culling or censoring (end of data collection). The model (Weibull proportional hazard) included the interaction of parity by pregnancy status by veterinary-treated clinical mastitis, peak test-day milk-yield deviation within herd-year-parity, age at first calving, year by season, region, breed, herd production level, and the random effect of herd. The effects of pregnancy status and veterinary-treated clinical mastitis were modeled as time-dependent covariates. The lactation was divided into five stages during which a veterinary-treated clinical mastitis and culling might occur and in which the pregnancy status was assumed to be known and culling could occur. Open cows had a pronounced effect on culling: they had a very high risk of being culled in all lactations, and it was even higher if they were treated for mastitis in early lactation. For pregnant cows, the later they got pregnant during the lactation, the greater their risk to be culled. The risk associated with cases of veterinary-treated clinical mastitis remained important throughout the lactation.     

The Effect of Retained Placenta and Metritis Complex on Reproductive Performance in Dairy Cattle — A Case Control Study

A study of the computer stored records of 293 dairy cows and 652 calvings reveals the effects of retained placenta and metritis complex on reproductive performance. The overall incidence rate of retained placenta was 11.2%. Retained placenta was 4.6 times more likely to occur following twin births than following single births. Most cases of retained placenta occurred during the fall. Forty-five percent of that seasonal increase was explained by an increased number of calvings. Metritis complex was diagnosed following 54.8% of retained placenta cases. Retained placenta alone did not significantly impair reproductive performance. Metritis complex, in the presence or absence of retained placenta, caused a significant (P相似文献   

An epidemiological and genetic study on registered diseases in Finnish Ayrshire cattle. III. Metabolic diseases

The epidemiology of clinical ketosis, hypocalcaemia and hypomagnesaemia was examined. In addition, the genetic variability of ketosis and parturient paresis was investigated. The data set consisted of the lactation records of 70,775 Finnish Ayrshire dairy cows. Each cow was under observation for 2 days before and for 305 days after calving. Lactation incidence rates (%) were: ketosis 6.0, parturient paresis 3.8, non-parturient paresis 0.6, hypomagnesaemic tetany, outdoor 0.6, and indoor 0.2. These diseases formed 22 % of all first treatments by veterinarians during farm visits. 92 % of the cases of ketosis occurred with 8 weeks of parturition, with the highest occurrence 3–5 weeks after calving. Four % of cases of parturient paresis occurred before, and 45 % within 24 h after calving. When cases were categorized by month of calving the risk of ketosis was higher during indoor feeding (October-April) than during outdoor feeding (May-September). The risk of parturient paresis did not significantly vary with month of calving. The occurrence of ketosis increased with parity up to the 4th and decreased thereafter. The occurrence of parturient paresis increased with parity. Both the increase in herd milk yield and the increase in individual milk yields were positively associated with the occurrence of ketosis and parturient paresis. The cows with a history of the reproductive tract infection had a higher risk of contracting ketosis. Heritability estimates for ketosis in various parity groups were from 1.6 % to 4.1 % on the binomial scale (corresponding to 7.3 %–14.4 % on the normal scale), and for parturient paresis from 3.5 to 10.5% (corresponding from 18.3 % to 27.4 %). The genetic correlation between ketosis and parturient paresis, and these and current milk production for all material were insignificant.     

Factors responsible for post parturient metritis in dairy cattle

Factors associated with retained placenta and post parturient metritis in Israeli-Friesian dairy cattle are examined. The overall incidence rate, in a total of 2017 calvings on seven farms, was 16.1 per cent for retained placenta and 37.3 per cent for primary metritis. Risk factors associated with retained placenta include rising parity, short gestations, induction of parturition, multiple births, summer calvings, left displacement of the abomasum and ketosis. Risk factors associated with metritis include declining parity, long gestations, induction of parturition, stillbirth, multiple births, low milk yield before drying off, left displacement of the abomasum, ketosis and winter calvings. A proposed aetiology of metritis is presented and the various possible factors involved are discussed.     

Efficacy of oral calcium and/or sodium phosphate in the prevention of parturient paresis in cows

The goal of this study was to investigate the efficacy of calcium chloride, sodium phosphate or a combination of these two substances administered orally immediately postpartum for the prevention of parturient paresis in cows. Thirty-two cows that had had parturient paresis at the previous calving, and in which serum biochemistry had shown hypocalcaemia and hypophosphataemia, were used in the study. The cows were transferred to the Department of Farm Animals, University of Zurich, five days before their expected due dates. On a randomized trial, the cows were given calcium chloride, sodium phosphate, both substances or no treatment (controls) via a stomach tube immediately postpartum and 12 hours later. The cows were monitored for 96 hours during which time blood was collected on a regular basis for the determination of total calcium, ionized calcium, inorganic phosphorus and magnesium concentrations. Of the 32 cows treated, 19 (59%) had parturient paresis and 13 (41%) did not. The incidence of parturient paresis did not differ significantly among the groups although there was a tendency for a lower incidence in cows treated with both calcium chloride and sodium phosphate. The various treatments had no apparent effect on serum calcium concentration. The concentration of inorganic phosphorus increased significantly in cows treated with sodium phosphate compared with the controls. The results of this study showed that cows treated with both calcium chloride and sodium phosphate orally tended to have a lower incidence of parturient paresis. Further investigation into multiple administrations of oral calcium chloride and sodium phosphate, started before parturition, for the prevention of parturient paresis is required.     

Associations between use of electric cow-trainers and clinical diseases, reproductive performance and culling in Swedish dairy cattle

The aims of this follow-up study were: (a) to evaluate the role of ECT technology as a risk factor for several diseases; and (b) to determine if the effects of these diseases on cows' reproductive performance and as risk factors for culling are influenced by exposure to ECTs. Diseases considered were retained placenta, metritis, ketosis, cystic ovaries, silent heat, milk fever, clinical mastitis, and foot and leg problems. We used historical and contemporary controls (with control herds selected to match the experimental herds for size and location). Data consisted of 10264 Swedish Red and White (SRB) and 5461 Swedish Friesian (SLB) lactation records in 150 herds of which 33 used cow-trainers. Logistic regression was used to estimate the effects of parity and exposure to electric cow-trainers on the risks of diseases and the effects of diseases and exposure to electric cow-trainers on risk of culling. The least-squares procedure was used to estimate the effects of diseases on reproductive performance.

The dominant effects associated with use of electric cow-trainers were an increased risk for silent heat, clinical mastitis, ketosis and culling relative to cows in herds not using cow-trainers. Diseases had negative effects on reproductive performance and the effects were larger for cows in herds using cow-trainers. In herds using electric cow-trainers, the largest increase in the interval from first service to conception (58 days) was caused by the occurrences of silent heat, cystic ovaries and the combination of two or more diseases. Retained placenta, metritis, cystic ovaries, clinical mastitis and a combination of two or more diseases increased the risk of culling about two times relative to healthy primiparous cows with the increase being greater for cows in herds using cow-trainers. Silent heat did not increase risk of culling in control groups, but was the largest risk factor for culling in the exposed group. We concluded that exposure to electric cow-trainers increased the incidence risk of silent heat, clinical mastitis, and ketosis and changed silent heat from a neutral disease with respect to culling to a major risk factor. Finally, exposure to cow-trainers increased the general negative effect of diseases on the cows' reproductive performance and risk for culling.     

Occurrence of cystic ovaries in dairy cows in Sweden

The occurrence of cystic ovaries in dairy cows in Sweden was investigated using data on almost 390 000 individuals. Longistic regression analysis was used to assess relationships between cystic ovaries and explanatory variables. Cows of the Swedish Red and White breed (SRB) had twice as many diagnosed cystic ovaries as did Swedish Friesians (SLB), and first-parity cows had half as many cystic ovaries as older cows. The odds for cystic ovaries increased with increasing parity for SRV cows, even after second parity, but not for SLB cows. The diagnosis appeared to be made earlier during lactation in SRB and in high-parity cows. Twin calving in the present lactation and cysts in the previous lactation increased the odds. Cows calving either during months with subsequent risk periods during pasturing or during months with increasing daylight had lower odds for cystic ovaries. The odds increased with increasing milk yield in the present lactation (estimated conditionally on yield in the previous lactation), but decreased with increasing production in the previous lactation (estimated conditionally on yield in the present lactation). In SRB cows, the odds decreased with increasing herd production level.     

An epidemiological and genetic study on registered diseases in Finnish Ayrshire cattle. I. The data, disease occurrence and culling

The epidemiology and genetic variability of the most common dairy cow diseases were examined. This paper describes the data set, lactation incidence rates and culling during lactation. The data set consisted of the lactation records of 73,368 Finnish Ayrshire dairy cows. Each cow was under observation for 2 days before and 305 days after calving. Lactational incidence rates (%) for the most common diseases were: ovulatory dysfunction 7.0, ketosis 6.0, acute mastitis 5.4, an oestrus and suboestrus 5.2, retained placenta 4.5, parturient paresis 3.8 and teat injury 2.6. Multiple logistic regression was utilized to investigate the possible effects of certain factors on culling. The model predicted the log odds for culling as an additive function of the explanatory factors. Using the estimated odds and forming the odds ratios it was possible to investigate, relative risks between any combination of groups of the explanatory factors. The risk of culling increased with parity after the second parturition, and with increasing herd milk yield. Mastitis and parturient paresis had positive associations with culling, while ketosis and infertility had negative associations. Heritability estimates for culling in various parity groups were from 2 % to 9 % on the binomial scale corresponding from 5 % to 14 % on the normal scale. There was a neagtive genetic correlation between culling and previous milk production.     

An economic assessment of twin births in British dairy herds.

The effect of twinning on the subsequent health, production and reproductive performance of dairy cattle was studied by analysing the data derived from 19,755 calvings which occurred during three years on 37 farms. The data formed part of the database of a veterinary practice operating the DAISY dairy cow recording scheme for its dairy farmer clients. The average twinning rate was 2.5 per cent. For first calf heifers the rate was 0.9 per cent, and the rate increased with increasing parity to over 5 per cent for cows calving for their sixth and subsequent lactations. Although they produced more milk than their contemporaries, twin-bearing cows suffered an increased incidence of retained placenta and vulval discharges and their calving to conception interval was extended by 33 days. Furthermore, 35 per cent of these cows were culled compared with 21 per cent of their contemporaries. The benefit of having more calves for sale was reduced owing to 15 per cent of them being born dead. It is calculated that producing twins resulted in an average loss of income of 74 pounds/cow, a deficit of 15 per cent compared with cows having single calves.     

Effects of long-term dietary supplementation with clinoptilolite on incidence of parturient paresis and serum concentrations of total calcium, phosphate, magnesium, potassium, and sodium in dairy cows

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether dietary supplementation with clinoptilolite affects the incidence of parturient paresis and serum concentrations of total calcium (tCa), inorganic phosphorus (PO(4) (2)), magnesium (Mg2+), potassium (K+), and sodium (Na+) in dairy cattle. ANIMALS: 52 dairy cows. Procedure-Cows were placed into 3 groups. The first 2 groups (group A [n = 17] and group B [17]) were offered a concentrate supplemented with 1.25% and 2.5% clinoptilolite, respectively. The third (group C [n = 18]) served as a control and was offered the concentrate alone. The experiment started 1 month before parturition and lasted until the beginning of the next nonlactating period. Around the time of calving, all cows were monitored for the development of parturient paresis. Blood samples were taken at the commencement of the experiment, on the day of calving, and thereafter at monthly intervals to measure serum tCa, PO(4) (2), Mg2+, K+, and Na+ concentrations. Results-The incidence of parturient paresis in group B cows was significantly lower, compared with group C cows. However, serum concentrations of tCa, P(O4) (2), Mg2+, K+, and Na+ were not significantly affected by long-term supplementation with clinoptilolite. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In the context of this experiment, clinoptilolite supplementation at 2.5% appeared to have reduced the incidence of parturient paresis in dairy cows, suggesting that its effectiveness depends on the amount incorporated in the ration of cows. Addition of clinoptilolite in the concentrate of dairy cows during the nonlactating period could be used as a cost-effective preventive treatment for parturient paresis.     

Risk of recurrence of eight periparturient and reproductive traits of dairy cows

The recurrence risk ratios of eight periparturient and reproductive traits of dairy cows were evaluated from 8782 pairs of lactations of 5600 Israeli Holstein dairy cows. The respective crude and summary recurrence risk ratios, using the Mantel and Haenszel technique, were 2.1 and 2.0 for twinning; 16.7 and 4.4 for parturient paresis; 3.1 and 2.0 for ketonuria; 1.7 and 1.2 for retained placenta; 1.9 and 1.7 for primary metritis; 2.0 and 1.8 for inactive ovaries (P for all traits0.01). No summary recurrence risk was associated with stillbirth or with pregnancy rate to first service. The relative components of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors are evaluated from the different values of the crude and summary recurrence risk ratios.     

Risk factors for abomasal displacement in dairy cows.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether various periparturient events or 305-day milk production during the previous lactation period were associated with abomasal displacement in dairy cows. DESIGN: Retrospective, case-control study. ANIMALS: 75 pairs of case and control cows from 3 university-owned and 3 commercial dairy herds. PROCEDURE: Cows with abomasal displacement were matched with control cows on the basis of herd of origin, breed, age, and calving date. Frequency of specific periparturient events during the period from 2 weeks prior to parturition to diagnosis of abomasal displacement, as well as milk production during the preceding lactation period, were compared between case and control cows. RESULTS: Multivariate analyses indicated that case cows were significantly more likely to have had retained placenta, ketosis, a stillborn calf, metritis, twins, or parturient paresis than were control cows. Dystocia, mastitis, and milk production during the previous lactation period were not associated with abomasal displacement. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Results indicated that a variety of periparturient events were associated with development of abomasal displacement among dairy cows.     

Incidence of Dystocia and Perinatal Calf Mortality Resulting from Reciprocal Crossing of Double-muscled and Normal Cattle

In order to study the incidence and causes of dystocia and perinatal calf mortality in double-muscled cattle, straight and reciprocal matings between double-muscled and normal cattle were made in three breeding seasons. A total of 348 matings resulted in 247 calvings in the four mating types. The frequency of normal calvings or calvings requiring slight assistance was higher among normal cows mated to double-muscled or normal bulls compared with that of double-muscled cows mated to double-muscled bulls (94% vs 78%, P < 0.05). In general the incidence of dystocia was higher among the double-muscled than the normal cows (19% vs 6%, P < 0.05). Calf birth weight, dam weight at calving, and condition score were not shown to contribute significantly to the differences in the frequencies of dystocia. A higher incidence of dystocia was found in the mating type which frequently gave rise to phenotypically muscular calves (DM × DM). The height, width, and area of pelvic opening were significantly smaller (P < 0.05) in the double-muscled than in the normal cows, indicating that the higher incidence of dystocia and perinatal mortality in double-muscled cattle can be attributed, at least partially, to the smaller area of pelvic opening in the double-muscled cattle.     

Effect of restricting silage feeding prepartum on time of calving,dystocia and stillbirth in Holstein-Friesian cows

A study was carried out to investigate the effect of restricting silage feeding on time of calving and calving performance in Holstein-Friesian cows. In the treatment group (n = 1,248 cows, 12 herds) silage feeding commenced in the evening (17:00 to 20:00 h), after a period of restricted access (2 to 10 h) while in the control group ad-libitum access to silage was provided over the 24 h period (n = 1,193 cows, 12 herds). Daytime and nighttime calvings were defined as calvings occurring between the hours of 06:30 and 00:29 and between 00:30 and 06:29, respectively. Restricting access to silage resulted in less calvings at night compared to cows with ad-libitum access to silage (18 vs 22%, P < 0.05). Cows with restricted access to silage had a higher percentage of difficult calvings (11 vs 7%, P < 0.001) and stillbirths (7 vs 5%, P < 0.05) compared to cows in the control group. The percentage of calvings at night was lower (13%) when access to silage was restricted for 10 h compared to 2, 4 or 6 h (22, 18, 25%, respectively) (P < 0.001). Calf sire breed, calf gender or cow parity did not influence time of calving. In conclusion, offering silage to pregnant Holstein-Friesian cows in the evening, after a period of restricted access, reduced the incidence of nighttime calvings, but increased the incidence of dystocia and stillbirth.